/  V      - 


NK53f^.A 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 


INTERIOR  OF  SAINTE  CHAPELLE,   PARIS. 


Built  by  St.  Louis  (Louis  IX)  1248  IVindo^v  surfaces  pleasantly  broken 
up  into  ^'^ medallion'''  designs.  IValls  constructed  almost  entirely  of  sheets  oj 
richly  toned  glass  {see  page  26) . 


STAINED  GLASS 

TOURS  IN 

FRANCE 


BY 

CHARLES    HITCHCOCK    SHERRILL 


NEW  YORK:  JOHN  LANE  COMPANY,  MCMVIII 
LONDON:  JOHN  LANE,   THE  BODLEY  HEAD 


^ti32y^7^f 


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Copyright,  1908,  by 
JOHN   LANE  COMPANY 

r^  r!  V 


xca 


NK 

5349 

A2 

S5 

EfiVI 


TO  THAT  REMORSELESS  CRITIC 

MY  WIFE 

THIS  BOOK  IS 
GRATEFULLY  DEDICATED 


CONTENTS 


PAOX 

Introduction 13 

Thirteenth  Century  and  Earlier 25 

Thirteenth  Century  Tours 37 

Fourteenth  and  Fifteenth  Centuries 117 

Fourteenth  and  Fifteenth  Century  Tours 184 

Sixteenth  Century 197 

Sixteenth  Century  Tours 213 

Itineraries 295 

Index 297 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

SaINTE  ChAPELLE,  Paris Fronti$piec4 

PAGB 

Medallion  Panel,  Louvre 28 

Map,  Thirteenth  Century  Tours 40 

Medallion  Lancet,  Tours 54 

Chartres  Transepts 73 

Thirteenth  Century  Rose,  Laon 104 

Fifteenth  Century  " Canopy,"  St.  L6 120 

Map,  Fourteenth  and  Fifteenth  Centuries  Tours 136 

Fifteenth  Century  " Canopy,"  Riom 158 

Renaissance  "Picture,"  Montport  l'Amaury 200 

Map,  Sixteenth  Century  Tours 214 

Renaissance  Rose,  Sens 220 

Creation  Window,  Troyes 228 

Constable  of  Montmorency  and  his  Sons 270 

Tree  of  Jesse,  Beauvais 283 

Dedication  of  the  Ste.  Chapelle 293 


FOREWORD 

The  purpose  of  this  book  is  a  very  simple  one.  It 
is  to  provide  an  answer  to  the  question,  ^'Where  does 
one  find  good  stained  glass  in  France,  and  how  can 
it  most  conveniently  be  seen?"  All  the  books  upon 
this  subject  are  more  or  less  technical  and  are  in- 
tended rather  for  the  student  than  the  sightseer.  Dur- 
ing the  six  years  that  the  writer  has  been  studying 
glass,  he  has  so  often  been  asked  the  above  question, 
as  to  finally  conclude  that  an  answer  in  the  form  of 
a  simple  touring  handbook  might  be  of  service.  To 
that  end  he  has  put  together  notes  taken  on  sundry 
vacation  trips.  The  reader  should  be  indulgent,  for 
the  writer  is  not  an  authority  on  glass  —  just  a 
lawyer  on  a  holiday.  In  addition  to  the  purpose  al- 
ready described,  it  is  hoped  that  this  little  book  may 
also  serve  to  lure  forth  into  the  charming  French 
country  some  who  have  hitherto  neither  heard  nor 
cared  much  about  glass,  so  that  they  may  see  the 
wonderful  beauty  that  the  stained-glass  window  can 
alone  reveal. 

Chari^s  Hitchcock  Shekeill. 

20,  East  65th  Street,  :^ew  York, 
Christmas,  1907. 
11 


n^'>214 


INTEODUCTION 

The  reason  for  the  existence  of  a  window  is  obvi- 
ous. When  the  dwelling  ceased  to  be  a  cave  and  be- 
came a  house,  the  need  for  a  light  aperture  at  once 
arose.  Neither  the  house  nor  the  window  concern 
us  until  long  after  the  house  had  been  made  thorough- 
ly habitable,  and  its  windows  after  much  evolution 
are  finally  filled  with  a  sheet  of  translucent  substance, 
which,  while  excluding  the  weather,  would  admit 
the  light.  Our  interest  does  not  begin  until  the  wish 
to  decorate  the  house  naturally  brought  about  a  de- 
sire to  decorate  the  window.  We  will  pass  over  the 
story  of  the  discovery  of  glass  and  its  gradual  im- 
provement; nor  will  we  pause  to  consider  the  very 
earliest  examples  now  extant,  nor  examine  the  steps 
through  which  it  must  have  passed  to  reach  so  ad- 
vanced a  stage  as  we  find  in  the  twelfth  century.  This 
is  a  book  to  tell  where  to  see  windows,  and  therefore 
it  must  not  take  up  stained  glass  until  a  period  is 
reached  when  examples  are  sufficiently  numerous 
and  beautiful  to  repay  a  visit  to  them.  At  what  date 
then,  shall  we  make  our  beginning?     There  is  prac- 

13 


INTRODUCTION 

tically  nothing  until  we  come  to  the  charming  re- 
mains of  the  twelfth  century;  but  because  these  lat- 
ter are  very  few  and  those  few  in  churches  which 
also  contain  glass  of  the  next  century,  we  shall  com- 
mence with  the  heading  of  "Thirteenth  Century  and 
Earlier."  That  explains  why  we  have  selected  this 
particular  epoch  as  the  starting  point  of  our  investi- 
gations. Our  windows  will  themselves  disclose  to 
us  that  the  Golden  Age  of  French  stained  glass 
falls  of  itself  into  three  subdivisions — the  first  com- 
prising the  twelfth  and  thirteenth  centuries,  the  sec- 
ond the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries,  and  the 
third  the  sixteenth  century.  Of  the  second  subdivision 
we  shall  find  but  few  examples,  of  the  first  more, 
and  of  the  third  most. 

No  matter  how  far  back  we  push  our  researches, 
we  are  sure  to  be  surprised  at  the  advanced  state  of 
the  art  represented  by  any  window  which  attempts 
a  picture.  In  fact,  we  shall  happen  upon  no  satis- 
factory traces  of  the  evolution  which  must  have  led 
up  to  even  the  crudest  and  oldest  story-window.  We 
are  forced,  therefore,  to  conclude  that  this  evolution 
must  have  occurred  in  another  art,  and  the  result  there 
evolved  transferred  into  this  one.  This  conclusion 
is  much  strengthened  when  we  read  that  St.  Sophia, 
built  by  Justinian  during  the  sixth  century  in  Con- 
stantinople, contained  not  only  glass  mosaics  on  the 
walls,  but  also  in  its  windows.  Here  we  have  the 
key  to  the  puzzle.    The  many  artists  who  were  then 

14 


INTEODUCTIOIT 

occupied  in  designing  mosaics,  worked  out  their  pic- 
tures in  little  pieces  of  glass  on  the  wall  until  they 
had  developed  along  that  line  as  far  as  possible. 
Then  they  doubtless  bethought  themselves  that  these 
glass  mosaics  would  be  even  more  effective  if  they 
could  devise  a  means  of  illuminating  their  picture 
by  letting  the  light  shine  through  the  colour.  To  ac- 
complish this  they  contrived  to  hold  the  morsels  of 
glass  securely  in  place,  first  by  wooden  or  stucco 
frames,  and  later  by  long  ribbons  of  lead  having 
channels  on  each  side  to  retain  the  edges  of  the  glass. 
This  form  of  mosaic  so  held  up  to  the  light  became 
a  stained-glass  window.  Thus  we  easily  understand 
that  when  the  idea  arrived  of  taking  the  mosaic  pic- 
ture off  the  wall  and  putting  it  into  the  embrasure  of 
the  window,  the  art  of  making  that  picture  out  of 
bits  of  glass  had  already  been  fully  developed. 

We  shall  avoid  the  technicalities  of  glass  making, 
as  they  do  not  suit  our  holiday  mood.  Nor  is  there 
good  reason  why  we  should  discuss  any  use  of  glass 
save  that  which  is  required  in  the  construction  of 
our  windows.  Let  us,  however,  in  passing,  refer  to 
the  very  curious  fact  that  a  severe  blow  was  dealt  to 
all  other  sorts  of  glassware  when  the  artists  turned 
their  attention  to  the  making  of  windows.  Glass- 
ware had  constantly  improved  in  design  and  colour 
up  to  the  time  (early  in  the  twelfth  century)  when 
the  great  interest  in  windows  sprang  up.  This  new 
taste  seemed  to  at  once  throw  all  other  developments 

16 


INTRODUCTION 

of  this  material  into  a  comatose  condition  which 
lasted  on  through  the  five  centuries  composing  the 
Golden  Age  of  the  window.  This  observation  receives 
a  peculiar  confirmation  when  we  notice  that,  at  the 
end  of  the  sixteenth  century,  stained  glass  suddenly 
lost  its  vogue  at  the  same  time  that  glassware  sprang 
into  renewed  favour  through  the  artistic  skill  and  in- 
ventive genius  of  the  Venetians.  Indeed,  the  de- 
cadence of  stained  glass  seemed  to  be  the  signal  for 
the  revival  of  hollow  glassware.  To  revert  for  a 
moment  to  the  time  when  window  making  caused  a 
halt  in  the  improvement  of  hollowware,  it  is  inter- 
esting to  note  that  glass  making  then  left  its  former 
haunts  and  betook  itself  to  the  forests,  where  it  lurked 
until  the  stained-glass  window  having  shot  its  bolt, 
hollowware  again  engaged  the  attention  of  the  artists 
and  was  once  more  manufactured  nearer  to  the  homes 
of  its  purchasers.  During  this  period  of  partial 
seclusion  the  glass  produced  was  of  a  peculiar  quality 
called  in  English  '^forest  glass"  and  in  French  "verre 
de  fougere"  (referring  to  the  wild  fern  or  bracken 
which  was  burnt  to  provide  the  necessary  alkali). 
The  two  names  combine  to  explain  to  us  that  wood 
and  not  coal  was  used  by  the  glass-blower  and  also 
that  his  alkali  had  to  be  gotten  in  an  unusual  way. 
The  toughness  of  this  "forest  glass"  was  admirably 
suited  to  the  requirements  of  the  window-maker. 

As  this  book  will  be  confined  to  an  examination 
of  French  stained  glass,  it  is  appropriate  to  cite 

16 


INTRODUCTION 

Theophilus,  who  when  in  the  twelfth  century  he  wrote 
his  celebrated  Latin  treatise  on  this  general  subject, 
stated  that  the  art  was  a  French  one.  This  makes 
it  all  the  more  important  that  we  trace  its  begin- 
nings in  France,  as  well  as  inquire  whence  came 
the  influence  which  so  strongly  marked  them. 
This  inquiry  will  reveal  that  it  was  to  Byzantium 
that  the  early  glaziers  were  indebted  for  their  quaint 
style  of  drawing.  In  early  glass  we  will  observe  the 
constrained,  ungainly  poses  of  the  bodies,  arms  and 
legs,  as  well  as  the  staring-  eyed,  ill-proportioned 
heads,  not  only  in  the  medallion  type  of  windows, 
but  also  in  the  larger  figures  glaring  down  from  the 
clerestories.  Very  interesting  conclusions  may  be 
reached  if  we  place  side  by  side  three  figures,  one 
taken  from  thirteenth  century  glass,  another 
from  a  Limoges  enamel  made  any  time  from 
the  tenth  to  the  thirteenth  century,  and  the  third 
f:om  the  famous  mosaics  of  St.  Mark's  in  Venice. 
We  have  selected  an  enamel  from  Limoges  because 
that  was  the  only  locality  in  which  a  continued  as 
well  as  a  renowned  cult  of  enamelling  existed  in 
France  during  the  centuries  named,  while  the  reason 
for  choosing  St.  Mark's  is  that  it  is  one  of  the  finest 
extant  examples  of  Byzantine  art.  Notice  the  same 
constraint  in  the  drawing  of  all  these  three  figures, 
the  same  awkward  pulling  of  garment  folds  to 
delineate  the  form,  and  the  same  quaint  morsel  of 
conventional  architecture  about  the  top  (which  last. 


WTRODUCTIOK 

by  the  way,  indicated  that  the  personage  below 
was  a  high  dignitarj^  of  either  church  or  state).  The 
resemblance  is  too  striking  to  be  merely  a  coincidence, 
especially  as  each  of  these  figures  used  in  the  com- 
parison is  typical  of  hundreds  of  others.  This  very 
resemblance  hints  at  its  own  explanation.  The  dates 
of  the  figures  show  the  order  in  which  these  peculiari- 
ties of  style  must  have  been  transmitted.  The  By- 
zantine mosaics  of  St.  Mark's  are  much  the  oldest; 
then  came  the  Limoges  enamels,  and  lastly  the 
stained  glass  windows.  Thus  we  learn  not  only  where 
our  windows  originated  in  France,  but  also  whence 
came  the  designs  that  the  Limoges  enamellers  taught 
the  glazier.  Abbe  Texier,  in  his  "Essai  Historique 
et  Descriptif  sur  les  Argentiers  et  les  Emailleurs  de 
Limoges"  (1841),  says  that  French  stained  glass  be- 
gan in  the  neighbourhood  of  Limoges,  whose  highly 
vaunted  school  of  enamellers  were  strongly  influenced 
by  the  Byzantine  types  of  the  Venetian  school  and 
that  therefore  it  was  but  natural  that  the  glass  artist 
should  also  have  yielded  to  the  Byzantine  influence. 
As  showing  how  this  influence  reached  Limoges,  he 
states  that  in  970  a  Venetian  colony  settled  there  for 
the  purpose  of  trading  in  spices  and  other  commodi- 
ties of  the  East,  conveyed  from  Egypt  by  way  of 
Marseilles.  Winston  says  that  the  Venetian  Doge 
Orseolo  I  came  to  sojourn  in  France  in  978  and  that 
the  erection  of  the  Church  of  St.  Front,  Perigueux 

18 


INTRODUCTIOl^ 

(near  Limoges),  is  ascribed  to  him.  James  Fer- 
guson, in  his  Illustrated  Handbook  of  Architecture, 
tells  us  that  the  Venetians  (as  the  great  carriers  and 
merchants  of  the  Levant)  were  in  constant  communi- 
cation with  Byzantium.  These  facts  provide  a  ready 
explanation  of  why  these  same  pronounced  Byzan- 
tine types  can  be  remarked  first  in  the  mosaics  of 
St.  Mark's,  next  in  the  enamels  of  Limoges  and  last- 
ly on  the  stained  glass  windows  of  the  thirteenth 
century.  The  older  the  glass,  the  more  closely  does 
the  drawing  follow  these  models;  the  attitudes  are 
more  constrained  and  awkward,  and  the  folds  of  the 
garment  are  more  tightly  drawn  around  the  figures, 
nor  does  the  artist  allow  himself  any  freedom  from 
the  traditions  of  that  school.  Later  on  the  drawing 
becomes  more  graceful  and  the  lines  are  freer.  Any- 
one who  desires  to  go  thoroughly  into  the  technical 
side  of  this  art  will  find  a  most  exhaustive  and 
scholarly  book  in  Lewis  F.  Day's  "Windows  of 
Stained  Glass''  (1897).  The  best  book  in  French  is 
Oliver  Merson's  excellent  "Vitraux"  (1895). 

Let  us  now  postpone  any  further  consideration  of 
the  general  subject  until  after  we,  with  our  own  eyes, 
have  seen  enough  windows  to  have  collected  material 
for  discussion.  This  brings  us  to  the  selection  of 
towns,  and  the  consideration  of  routes. 

We  have  referred  to  how  naturally  stained  glass 
divides  itself  into  three  epochs,  viz. : 

19 


INTRODUCTION 

1.  Thirteenth  century  and  earlier. 

2.  Fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries. 

3.  Sixteenth  century. 

Visits  to  the  glass  of  these  epochs  will  be,  for  con- 
venience, subdivided  into  the  following  tours: 

EPOCH    I 

(a)  Bourges,  Poitiers,  Tours,  Angers,  Le  Mans, 
Chartres. 

(h)   Auxerre,  Sens,  Troyes,  Chalons,  Rheims. 
(c)   Soissons,  Laon,  St.  Quentin,  Amiens. 

EPOCH    II 

(a)  Evreux,  Rouen. 

(h)  Bourges,  Moulins,  Riom,  Clermont-Ferrand, 
Eymoutiers,  Limoges,  Poitiers,  Angers,  Le  Mans 
(Alengon),  Sees,  Verneuil,  Chartres. 

Also  separate  visit  to  Quimper. 

EPOCH   III 

(a)  Vincennes,  Sens,  Troyes,  Chalons. 

(6)  Montfort  TAmaury,  Conches,  Pont-Audemer, 
Caudebec,  Rouen  (Grand  Andely,  Elbeuf,  Pont  de 
I'Arche). 

(c)  Ecouen,  Montmorency.  Chantilly  (St.  Quen- 
tin), Beauvais. 

Also  separate  visits  to  Bourg,  Auch  and  Cham- 
pigny-sur-Veude. 

20 


II^TIIODUCTION 

At  the  back  of  the  book  will  be  found  a  table  show- 
ing distances  by  road,  and  also  the  usual  index. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  even  in  so  delightful  a 
country  as  France,  one's  wanderings  gain  an  added 
zest  if  guided  by  a  more  definite  purpose  than  is  the 
slave  of  the  red-backed  Baedeker,  intent  upon  ex- 
hausting the  sights  of  every  place  visited.  This  ad- 
mitted, we  have  then  to  consider  not  only  the 
stranger  on  his  first  visit  to  France,  but  also 
the  experienced  traveller  who  already  knows  the 
beauties  of  its  roads  and  the  lazy  charm  of  its  his- 
toric towns.  If  our  reader  is  of  the  latter  sort  he 
will  especially  hail  some  new  quest  as  a  reason  for 
revisiting  old  scenes  in  search  of  charms  heretofore 
unseen  or  unappreciated.  It  was  especially  him  that 
the  writer  had  in  mind  when  putting  together 
the  rambling  notes  covering  six  years  of  glass 
study.  He  knows  what  varied  forms  of  beauty  await 
those  who  are  sufficiently  energetic  to  escape  from 
the  ultra-modern  charms  of  Paris,  that  fascinator  of 
foreigners.  He  knows  the  quaint  villages,  the  perfect 
roads,  the  ancient  castles,  the  magnificent  cathedrals 
that  are  waiting  to  be  explored.  To  him  we  will 
tell  the  story  of  a  wonderful  beauty  where  light  lies 
imprisoned  in  colour — a  beauty  which  can  be  seen  no- 
where so  well  as  in  France.  What  if  you  have  al- 
ready visited  every  nook  and  corner  of  this  pictur- 
esque land?  Come  out  again  with  us  and  add  an- 
other to  the  many  reasons  for  your  love  of  France. 

21 


INTRODUCTION 

Take  up  the  modern  equivalent  of  the  pilgrim's  staff 
and  shell  and  fare  forth,  being  well  assured  that  your 
eyes  will  be  opened  to  the  appreciation  of  something 
which,  to  be  loved,  has  only  to  be  wisely  seen — the 
window  of  stained  glass. 


22 


THIRTEENTH  CENTURY 


THIRTEENTH  CEIs^TUEY  AND  EARLIER 

Before  spending  any  time  in  studying  the  sub- 
ject of  stained  glass  windows,  let  us  go  and  see  some 
good  ones.  One  of  the  safest  ways  to  learn  how  to 
appreciate  any  art  is  to  look  at  fine  examples 
of  it.  Of  stained  glass  this  is  particularly  true, 
because  no  method  of  reproduction,  even  colour 
photography,  can  give  any  idea  of  the  unique 
result  there  obtained  by  combining  light  with  colour. 
No  flat  tints  can  ever  produce  the  effect  of  warmth 
and  translucence  that  is  yielded  by  colour  illuminated 
through  and  through  by  the  rays  of  the  sun.  We  will 
assume  that  we  are  in  Paris.  Fortunately  for  our 
purpose  there  are  easily  accessible  two  splendid  speci- 
mens of  early  glass,  one  the  glazing  of  the  Ste. 
Chapelle  and  the  other  the  rose  windows  high  up  in 
the  western  fagade  and  in  the  transept  ends  of  the 
Cathedral  of  Notre  Dame.  The  former  is  the  most 
perfect  instance  of  a  thirteenth  century  chapel  pre- 
serving intact  its  original  glazing,  while  the  rose  in 
the  northern  transept  of  Notre  Dame  is  probably  the 
finest  one  of  its  period  in  the  world.  Thus  we  make 
an  excellent  beginning  and  our  interest  is  at  once 

25 


STAIl^ED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

stimulated  to  see  more.  Observe  the  difference  in  tho 
placing  of  these  windows,  as  well  as  in  the  points  from 
which  we  view  them,  as  it  will  prove  peculiarly  useful 
in  disclosing  how  they  should  be  set  in  order  to  best 
reveal  their  beauties.  Every  tourist  that  visits  Paris 
goes,  as  a  matter  of  course,  to  the  Ste.  Chapelle, 
that  net  of  Gothic  in  which  lies  enmeshed  such 
treasures  of  colour  and  light.  This  sparkling  marvel 
lies  modestly  nestled  among  the  law  courts,  whose 
plainer  modern  buildings  serve  but  to  accentuate  its 
wonderful  beauty.  We  shall  not  be  long  in  learning 
who  was  its  founder,  for  the  golden  fleur  de  lis  of 
France  and  castles  of  Castile  strewed  over  its  walls 
of  glass  mutely  remind  us  that  it  was  built  by  the 
good  Louis  IX  and  that  with  him  was  associated  his 
mother,  Queen  Blanche  of  Castile.  No  king  of 
France  so  loved  and  befriended  our  gentle  art  as 
St.  Louis.  In  many  another  French  window  this 
same  combination  of  heraldic  emblems  will  demon- 
strate how  diligently  these  two  royalties  (or  others 
in  their  honour)  strove  to  introduce  and  spread  the 
luminous  beauty  of  this  craft.  This  fragile  chef 
d'ocuvre  was  constructed  by  order  of  its  royal  patron 
to  provide  a  sanctuary  worthy  to  contain  the  sacred 
relics  acquired  by  him  in  the  Holy  Land.  No  effort 
or  expense  was  spared  to  fit  it  for  its  high  purpose. 
By  reason  of  its  royal  founder  as  well  as  of  its  ob- 
ject, we  can  be  sure  that  in  the  Ste.  Chapelle  we  have 
an  example  of  the  best  taste  of  the  thirteenth  cen- 

26 


THIETEEN"TH  CENTURY 

tury.  St.  Louis  laid  the  first  stone  in  1245,  and 
so  expeditiously  was  the  work  carried  on  that  it 
was  finished  and  consecrated  April  25,  1248,  and  we 
read  that  all  its  wealth  of  glass  was  installed  before 
the  consecration. 

Although  we  shall  refrain  from  technical  words 
as  much  as  possible,  we  can  see  at  a  glance  why  these 
were  called  "medallion"  windows.  Each  subject 
treated  is  enclosed  in  a  narrow  round  framing  of 
colour,  thus  .breaking  up  the  entire  surface  into 
medallions.  It  prevented  confusion  of  subjects  and 
at  the  same  time  gave  a  balance  to  their  treatment. 

It  is  a  good  omen  for  the  future  of  our  com- 
bined sightseeing  and  study  that  we  can  begin  with 
something  so  complete  and  charming  as  the  perfect 
Ste.  Chapelle.  And  yet,  although  it  is  glowingly, 
mystically  lovely  with  a  beauty  attributable  chiefly  to 
its  glass,  other  thirteenth  century  churches  will  teach 
us  to  notice  that  here  it  is  the  interior  that  is  bene- 
fited and  not  the  windows.  So  small  is  the  edifice 
that  we  cannot  stand  far  enough  away  from  the  glass 
to  let  it  develop  the  glittering  glow  that  refraction  of 
the  rays  of  light  lends  to  the  glazing  of  the  thirteenth 
century,  but  which  no  other  period  can  show  us.  In 
order  to  fully  realise  what  we  have  lost  by  being  too 
near  the  windows,  take  the  short  stroll  that  brings 
you  to  the  Cathedral  of  Notre  Dame.  Enter  its 
great  gloom,  go  forward  until  you  are  opposite  the 
rose  window  in  the  north  transept,  and  look  up.    If 

27 


STAIXED  GLASS  TOURS  IN"  FRAIS^CE 

you  have  in  you  any  poetry,  any  sensuous  sympathy 
with  colour  and  light,  you  will  receive  an  artistic 
thrill  so  strong  as  to  at  once  elevate  you  to  member- 
ship in  our  Brotherhood  of  Glass  Lovers.  Our  pil- 
grim staring  up  at  the  great  rose  window  will  note 
the  splendid  purplish  glow  that  comes  from  it.  Now 
he  will  realise  that  he  missed  this  gorgeous  jewelled 
gleam  at  the  Ste.  Chapelle,  and  for  the  reason  that 
he  was  too  close  to  the  glass.  After  he  has  grown  ac- 
customed to  this  new  feature,  he  will  begin  to  notice 
some  of  the  causes  for  it.  The  effect  is  undoubtedly 
glowing  purple,  and  yet  it  is  not  produced  by  pur- 
ple glass.  It  results  from  the  merging  of  the  reds  and 
blues,  rendered  possible,  nay,  assisted  by  the  small- 
ness  of  the  pieces  of  the  glass,  and  this  observation 
also  explains  why  this  same  effect  was  not  obtained 
in  later  periods  when  the  glass  fragments  become  so 
large  that  the  colours  remain  distinct  and  do  not 
run  into  each  other.  Because  we  are  too  near  the 
Ste.  Chapelle  glass  we  remember  it  as  red  and  blue, 
but  the  memory  of  the  Notre  Dame  windows,  which 
can  be  viewed  from  a  proper  distance,  is  a  splendid 
purple. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  you  have  had  the  good  for- 
tune to  first  visit  these  two  buildings  on  a  rainy  or 
grey  day.  That  is  the  sort  of  weather  for  a  glass 
pilgrim  to  be  abroad  and  stirring,  for  his  windows 
will  be  lighted  to  the  same  extent  all  around  the 
church.     If  it  is  a  sunny  day,  the  windows  towards 

"28   " 


I3TH  CENTURY  MEDALLION,  MUSEE  DU  LOUVRE. 

tVindozv  surface  broken  up  into  medallions,  each  enclosing  a  little  scene. 
TJte  black  o^itlines  of  the  picture  are  provided  by  the  leaden  strips  which  hold 
together  the  pieces  of  glass.  Paint  is  used  only  to  mark  the  features,  folds  in 
the  garments,  etc.     Here  the  lead  lines  assist  the  picture— later  they  mar  it. 


THIETEENTH  CENTUKY 

the  sun  will  seem  thin  in  colour,  whilst  those  on  the 
shady  side  will  be  thick  and  flatly  toned.  He  may 
assure  himself  that  he  is  mistaken,  and  that  the  dif- 
ference in  effect  is  caused  by  the  strong  glare  of  the 
sun  on  the  one  side,  and  on  the  other  side  the  lack 
of  it — we  repeat  that  he  may  assure  himself  of  this, 
but  he  will  get  the  wrong  effect,  notwithstanding. 
Make  a  mental  note  of  this  point  and  when  you  go 
glass  hunting,  join  the  farmers  in  praying  for  rain! 
We  must  seek  elsewhere  than  in  Paris  to  find  what 
this  mosaic  of  tiny  morsels  of  different  hued  glass 
can  accomplish  in  the  small  chapels  surrounding  the 
choir  of  a  great  cathedral.  We  shall  learn  what  a 
glorifying  curtain  of  subdued  colour  it  will  provide 
and  how  when  viewed  from  the  nave  of  the  church 
these  chapels  become  gleaming  caverns,  forming  a 
semi-circular  background  for  the  well-lighted  choir 
in  their  midst.  Even  whilst  we  are  drinking  in  the 
great  beauty  of  this  splendidly  impressive  half-circle 
of  chapels,  we  must  realise  that  delightful  as  is  this 
method  of  subduing  and  beautifying  the  light,  it 
would  be  most  unwise  to  use  this  same  style  of  glass 
in  the  clerestory  above.  Not  only  would  the  choir 
be  too  dark,  but,  besides,  we  would  lose  the  contrast 
of  light  against  gloom  that  renders  it  so  impres- 
sive in  its  dignity.  This  observation  introduces 
another  type  of  glazing  for  which  we  shall  seek  in 
vain  after  this  century.  If  we  demand  more  light 
from  our  clerestory  and  at  the  same  time  insist  on 

29 


STAIISrED  GLASS  TOUES  m  PEANCE 

coloured  glass,  then  we  must  use  fewer  strips  of 
light-obscuring  lead,  which  means  fewer  and  larger 
pieces  of  glass.  Thus  we  will  obtain  more  illumina- 
tion than  is  yielded  by  the  heavily-leaded  windows 
below.  Now  we  begin  to  understand  that  the  light 
of  the  medallion  window  is  sombre  because  so  much^ 
of  its  surface  is  occupied  by  the  great  quantity  of 
lead  required  to  bind  together  its  small  pieces  of 
glass.  These  numerous  lead  lines  serve  a  very  artistic  - 
purpose,  for,  by  breaking  the  refraction  of  the  rays  of 
light  passing  through  the  small  bits  of  glass  and  dif- 
fusing them,  they  have  much  to  do  with  blending  the 
colours  and  producing  the  delightful  jewelled  effect 
that  we  at  once  noticed  in  Notre  Dame.  We  have 
purposely  used  the  phrase  "much  to  do,"  because  it 
is  only  one  of  several  causes.  The  quality  of  the  glass 
itself  had  a  great  share  in  that  result.  It  is  quite 
different  from  that  found  later  on,  for  it  was,  as  yet, 
quite  imperfect,  and  no  two  pieces  had  the  same  thick- 
ness or  were  surfaced  alike.  This  very  unevenness 
assisted  in  breaking  up  the  light  rays.  Another  cause 
for  its  brilliancy  was  that  its  translucence  was  not 
obscured  by  paint.  A  piece  of  glass  was  yellow  or  blue 
because  its  colour  was  introduced  while  it  was  being 
made  in  the  pot  and  therefore  was  diffused  through- 
out the  mass.  For  this  reason  it  was  called  "pot 
metal  glass."  We  shall  find  that  later  on  they  dis- 
covered how  to  tint  the  surface  of  glass  by 
the  invention  first  of  staining  and  later  by  enamel- 

30 


THIRTEENTH  CENTURY 

ling,  both  of  which  had  a  marked  effect  and  will  be 
spoken  of  at  the  proper  time.  One  of  the  results  of 
colouring  glass  in  the  pot  was  that  generally  the  tone 
would  not  be  equal  throughout ;  for  instance,  a  piece 
of 'blue  glass  would  not  be  evenly  blue  in  all  its  parts. 
This  dift'erence  in  the  shading  of  each  piece,  as  well 
as  the  unevenness  of  its  surface,  produced  a  brilliancy 
which  the  more  perfect  methods  that  came  later  could 
never  hope  to  achieve.  The  freedom  from  surface 
paint  made  possible  a  limpidity  of  colour  which  by 
contrast  makes  later  painted  or  enamelled  windows 
seem  almost  dull.  During  the  twelfth  and  thirteenth 
centuries  the  only  paint  used  was  a  brown  pigment, 
which  served  to  delineate  features  and  sometimes  to 
accentuate  the  folds  of  garments,  etc.  We  must  also 
remember  that  as  the  artist  worked  with  small  pieces 
of  glass  and  therefore  used  a  great  many  lead  lines, 
all  the  outlines  needed  by  his  picture  could  be  put  in 
with  leads,  and  hence  it  was  only  natural  that  he  be- 
came very  expert  in  drawing  with  them.  The  result 
of  his  skill  in  this  particular  is  surprisingly  attrac- 
tive and  we  shall  sorely  miss  it  later,  when  less  and 
less  attention  was  paid  to  the  drawing  and  decorative 
value  of  the  leads  because  of  the  increased  desire  for 
large  pieces  of  glass  with  pictures  painted  upon  them. 
In  fact,  so  far  from  early  traditions  did  they  of  the 
sixteenth  century  stray,  that  we  shall  see  strips  of  lead 
running  right  across  an  arm  or  a  face !  Their  value 
from  an  artistic  standpoint  seemed  at  that  time  nearly 

31 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

forgotten,  and  instead  of  being  used  to  beautify  the 
drawing,  they  were  only  tolerated  as  a  part  of  the 
machinery  necessary  to  support  the  glass  in  its  frame- 
work. Before  leaving  the  subject  of  paint  upon 
glass,  it  is  well  to  remark  that  although  we  may  ad- 
mire the  brilliancy  of  these  early  windows  and  may 
rejoice  that  the  artist  had  not  yet  learned  to  obscure 
his  colour,  nevertheless,  if  we  were  examining  win- 
dows in  Italy,  that  land  of  everlasting  sunshine,  we 
might  find  a  little  painting  upon  the  surface  a  genu- 
ine relief  to  the  eye.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  too 
much  sunshine.  Geography  must  be  considered  in 
criticising  glass. 

We  promised  to  avoid  as  much  as  possible  the 
study  of  the  technical,  but  it  must  be  admitted  that 
we  have  drifted  into  it,  and  that  our  attempt  to  learn 
why  clerestory  windows  differ  from  the  lower  ones, 
has  brought  with  it  an  exposition  of  the  technique 
of  the  thirteenth  century.  To  briefly  recapitulate, 
it  consists  of — 

(a)   Small  pieces  of  glass. 

(5)  Obviously  requiring  a  great  many  lead  lines 
to  bind  them  together. 

(c)  Glass  that  is  uneven  in  surface  and  in  the  dis- 
tribution of  its  colour. 

(d)  Glass  coloured  throughout  the  mass  (pot 
metal  glass). 

(e)  Glass  that  is  practically  unobscured  by  paint. 
But  let  us  get  up  to  our  clerestory  windows.     It 

32 


THIRTEENTH  CENTURY 

has  been  instructive  arriving  there,  but  now  let  us 
see  what  had  to  be  done  to  admit  more  light  through 
these  upper  embrasures.  In  the  first  place  it  was 
clear  that  there  had  to  be  less  leading,  which  meant 
larger  pieces  of  glass.  For  this  purpose  there  was 
devised  a  conventional  style  of  decoration  giving  a 
most  pleasing  result.  This  consisted  of  a  series  of 
large  figures  of  saints,  kings,  or  other  great  person- 
ages. Unfortunately  we  cannot  see  this  sort  of  clere- 
story window  in  Paris,  but  a  visit  to  Bourges  or 
Rheims  or  Chartres  will  soon  convince  you  how 
splendidly  they  serve  their  purpose.  At  Notre  Dame, 
in  the  choir  clerestory,  one  sees  only  a  poor  imitation 
of  the  destroyed  old  windows;  owing  to  the  paint 
upon  the  glass,  the  yellows  are  dull  and  the  reds  are 
thick  and  muddy. 

When  you  have  seen  one  of  these  rows  of  huge 
figures,  the  reason  for  the  device  becomes  clear.  The 
folds  of  garments  of  such  size  permitted  the  use  of 
large  sheets  of  glass,  and  as  little  lead  and  no  paint 
were  needed,  the  light  was  not  obscured.  The  draw- 
ing of  the  folds,  etc.,  was  executed  by  the  leads  which, 
in  any  event,  were  required  for  structural  reasons. 
So  large  are  some  of  these  figures  that  often  we  shall 
find  that  their  eyes  were  not  drawn  with  pigment, 
but  were  separately  leaded  in.  This  would  not  have 
been  agreeable  in  the  lower  range  of  windows,  but 
high  up  in  the  air,  far  above  the  observer's  head,  it 
produced  the  eifect  desired.    Nor  was  this  the  only 

33 


STAINED  GLASS  TOUES  IX  FRANCE 

trick  indulged  in  by  the  artist.  Sometimes  he  per- 
mitted himself  very  odd  uses  of  colour.  You  will  no- 
tice that  during  this  century  he  generally  employed 
brown  glass  instead  of  white  for  flesh  tints.  Of  course 
he  did  not  have  what  we  call  white  glass — that  was  a 
perfection  not  yet  reached,  but  he  might  have  used 
pink.  No,  he  preferred  bro^vn;  and  when  you  have 
seen  the  glorious  rows  of  clerestory  figures  looking 
down  upon  you  at  Rheims  or  Chartres,you  will  know 
that  he  was  right.  His  colours  were  so  rich  and  strong 
that  white  glass  in  the  faces  would  have  been  too 
sharp  a  contrast  and  would  have  spoilt  the  harmony 
of  tones.  Nor  was  this  the  only  strange  choice  of 
tints.  You  will  be  startled  to  read  that  blue  is  used 
for  the  hair  of  the  Christ  in  a  Crucifixion  scene,  and 
yet  so  cleverly  was  it  worked  in  that  many  an  ob- 
server of  the  splendid  east  window  of  Poitiers  Cathe- 
dral has  gone  away  without  noticing  that  the  hair  is 
blue  or  that  the  cross  is  bright  red!  The  effect  of 
the  picture  was  achieved,  proof  that  the  artist  knew 
and  developed  the  possibilities  existing  in  his  mate- 
rials. That  certainly  always  has  been  and  always 
will  be  one  of  the  great  tests  of  artistic  ability. 

While  in  Notre  Dame  notice  another  method  of 
glazing  prevalent  in  that  century  and  which  also 
had  for  its  raison  d'etre  the  need  for  light 
in  the  upper  windows.  This  is  what  is  called  "gri- 
saille," a  panel  of  greenish-grey  glass,  sometimes  sur- 
rounded by  a  border  of  the  same  tone,  sometimes  by 

34 


THIETEEIJ^TH  CENTUEY 

one  of  gayer  tints,  but  always,  during  this  period,  a 
broad  border.  Back  in  the  twelfth  century,  where 
we  first  find  these  windows,  the  borders  are  wider 
still.  Their  small  pieces  of  glass  are  held  together 
by  leads  arranged  in  conventional  designs,  often  in 
what  is  called  strap  work,  i.e.,  the  seeming  interlac- 
ing of  straps  in  a  sort  of  basket  pattern,  very  sim- 
ple and  agreeable.  The  light  comes  through  in  a 
cool,  silvery  tone  which  blends  well  with  the  stono 
structure  about  it.  In  Notre  Dame  we  see  ex- 
amples of  these  windows,  some  with  grisaille  bor- 
ders, and  also  a  few  with  coloured  ones,  but  on  our 
travels  we  shall  find  much  better  types  at  Bourges, 
at  Chalons-sur-Marne,  and  elsewhere. 

As  a  result  of  our  sightseeing  we  will  learn  that 
the  best  of  the  early  glaziers  realised  that  to  com- 
pensate for  the  dim  light  yielded  by  the  medallion 
windows  below,  it  was  necessary  to  have  better  illumi- 
nation from  above.  Of  course  this  combination  in 
perfection  was  not  often  accomplished,  but  we  gen- 
erally find  that  if  the  artist  did  not  himself  take 
care  to  admit  sufficient  light,  somebody  that  came 
later  corrected  the  error.  Often  we  find  that  the 
iQonks,  to  obtain  more  light  in  the  choir,  removed 
the  coloured  panels  and  substituted  plain  glass.  In 
several  instances,  notably  at  Amiens,  they  attempted 
to  sanctify  their  vandalism  by  destroying  only  so 
much  stained  glass  in  a  window  as  to  leave  a  large 
white  cross  upon  it.   When  we  come  to  the  next  cen- 

35 


STAIl^ED  GLASS  TOURS  m  FRA:srCE 

tury  we  shall  see  what  this  vandalism  in  favour  of 
better-lighted  church  interiors  is  going  to  produce. 

For  the  sake  of  clearness  let  us  review  the  steps 
by  which  we  have  reached  our  conclusions.  First 
we  saw  that  the  thirteeenth  century  window  has  far 
more  charm  in  its  colour  than  in  its  drawing,  which, 
although  generally  true  of  all  glass,  is  never  so  em- 
phatically true  as  during  this  period.  While  ex- 
amining the  colour  composition,  we  have  learnt 
how  a  window  is  constructed,  and  that  in  turn  has 
taught  us  why  it  is  best  to  view  it  from  a  little  dis- 
tance. The  next  step  was  to  conclude  that  therefore 
this  style  of  glass  was  not  well  adapted  to  domestic 
architecture  or  for  small  buildings.  Further,  we 
have  rem.arked  the  odd  style  of  drawing  then  in  vogue 
which,  traced  back,  proves  but  one  of  the  many  im- 
prints which  Byzantine  art  left  upon  those  times. 

More  time  might  at  this  point  be  profitably  de- 
voted to  study,  but  this  little  volume  is  not  intended 
for  a  text-book.  Its  chief  object  is  to  persuade  you 
to  go  about  France  and  see  for  yourself  its  wonder- 
ful windows.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  even  this  small 
amount  of  research  will  prove  useful  in  increasing 
your  enjoyment  of  the  glass.  Let  us  now  consider  how 
many  and  which  towns  we  will  visit,  and  also  how  we 
can  most  satisfactorily  group  them  together  so  as  to 
provide  convenient  trips. 


36 


THIKTEENTH  CENTUEY  PILGKIMAGES 

The  glass  we  have  seen  in  Paris  gives  but  a  hint 
of  the  richness  of  this  period  exemplified  elsewhere 
in  Erance.  How  much  or  how  little  we  shall  see  de- 
pends upon  the  reader.  If  he  has  time  or  inclina- 
tion for  but  one  example,  he  should  visit  Chartres. 
In  giving  this  advice  we  solemnly  warn  him  that  if 
he  has  even  a  faint  idea  of  seeing  more  than  one, 
then  he  should  defer  Chartres  until  the  last.  It  so 
far  surpasses  the  others  that  they  must  be  seen  before 
it  or  they  will  suffer  by  comparison.  If  the  reader  can 
only  visit  a  few  towns,  then  he  will  doubtless  wish 
to  consider  what  else  they  contain  besides  glass,  as 
these  other  features  may  influence  him  in  making  his 
selection.  Eor  example,  if  he  is  interested  in  tapestry 
it  is  clear  that  he  will  prefer  Kheims  and  Angers  to 
other  churches  equally  important  in  their  glass,  but 
lacking  such  additional  attractions.  Then,  too,  near- 
ness to  Paris  may  decide  him  in  favour  of  one  cathe- 
dral instead  of  another  requiring  a  longer  journey. 
With  each  of  our  towns  we  will  mention  any  such 
extra  inducement  as  tapestry,  paintings,  etc.  At  the 
back  will  be  found  a  table  of  distances,  not  only  from 

37 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

Paris,  but  also  from  each  town  to  the  next.  If  the 
reader  has  plenty  of  time,  we  suggest  three  pilgrim- 
ages. If  his  time  is  in  any  way  limited,  he  can  either 
take  one  or  more  of  them,  or  else  make  such  ad- 
justment of  them  as  best  suits  his  convenience.  It 
must,  of  course,  be  understood  that  there  is  some 
thirteenth  century  glass  which  will  not  be  visited 
by  us,  but  any  one  who  has  followed  these  itine- 
raries will  have  seen  all  of  the  best.  When  we 
reflect  how  fragile  is  a  glass  window,  it  is  really  mar- 
vellous that  we  shall  find  so  much  of  this  easily  de- 
stroyed beauty  after  the  stress  of  centuries.  Only  a 
few  churches  can  show  anything  like  a  complete 
series  of  windows,  and  fewer  still  a  series  all  glazed 
during  the  same  period.  Chartres,  that  treasure- 
house  of  glass,  is  the  nearest  approach  to  a  perfectly 
complete  example.  Le  Mans,  perhaps,  is  next. 
Bourges  is  splendid  in  its  thirteenth  century  glory, 
but  there  the  hypercritical  may  find  that  the  fifteenth 
century  glazing  of  the  nave  chapels  interferes  with 
the  earlier  effect.  The  clerestory  of  Rheims  Cathe- 
dral boasts  row  on  row  of  gorgeous  kings  and  bish- 
ops, but  there  we  look  in  vain  for  the  medallion  win- 
dows to  give  us  the  usual  glowing  chapels  below. 
These  differences  are  not  mentioned  to  criticise,  but 
to  point  out  that  we  shall  find  a  variety  and  not  a 
monotony  of  beauty.  Now  for  the  three  itineraries : 
(a)  Our  first  tour  is  the  longest,  starts  at  the  point 
most  distant  from  Paris,  and  then  works  back  to  that 

38 


THIRTEEIsrTH  CEiTTURY 

city.  We  begin  at  Bourges,  4 J  hours  by  railway, 
227  kilometres  by  road.  From  Bourges  we  go  to 
Poitiers,  then  to  Tours,  to  Angers,  to  Le  Mans,  and 
end  at  Chartres.  Chartres  is  only  IJ  hours  from 
Paris,  88  kilometres  by  road. 

(&)  Before  starting  on  the  second  tour  we  must 
consult  time-tables  in  order  to  make  connections  for 
Auxerre,  which  is  35  minutes  beyond  La  Roche,  a 
station  on  the  main  line  to  Lyons  and  the  south.  If 
we  could  take  a  through  train  from  Paris,  the  jour- 
ney would  be  under  three  hours.  By  automobile  it  is 
168  kilometres,  leaving  Paris  by  the  road  to  Eon- 
tainebleau.  Erom  Auxerre  we  come  back  to  Sens, 
then  to  Troyes,  to  Chalons-sur-Marne,  and  lastly 
to  Rheims,  two  hours  from  Paris  (145  kilometres). 
If  the  time  or  inclination  of  the  pilgrim  makes  it  ex- 
pedient that  this  trip  be  shortened,  then,  if  he  is  a 
railway  traveller,  let  him  begin  by  Troyes  and  come 
around  by  Chalons  and  Rheims.  If,  on  the  other 
hand,  he  is  travelling  by  automobile,  he  might  as  well 
see  Sens  just  before  Troyes,  because  by  road  Sens 
is  not  much  off  the  line  from  Paris  to  Troyes  and  is 
well  worth  that  small  detour.  The  railway  journey, 
however,  between  Sens  and  Troyes  is  a  tedious  one 
of  more  than  two  hours,  because  it  is  a  branch  line 
where  there  are  no  expresses, 

(c)  The  last  tour  is  most  convenient  to  Paris,  and 
although  clearly  secondary  in  importance  as  a  glass 
pilgrimage,  the  scenery  is  so  very  attractive   that  it 

39 


STAIXED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

will  particularly  appeal  to  the  automobilist  and  bicy- 
clist. We  begin  by  visiting  Soissons,  an  hour  and 
a  quarter  by  train  (95  kilometres  by  road),  then 
Laon,  next  St.  Quentin  and  last  Amiens,  an  hour 
and  a  quarter  by  train  (131  kilometres)  from  Paris. 
If  he  is  "en  automobile,"  the  pilgrim  may  return  to 
Paris  by  way  of  Beauvais,  for  it  is  not  much  out  of 
his  way.  If,  however,  he  is  travelling  by  railway, 
then  he  should  omit  Beauvais,  for  he  will  find  only 
exasperatingly  slow  trains  from  Amiens  to  Beauvais. 
The  thirteenth  century  glass  there  is  unimportant, 
and,  besides,  we  shall  later  visit  it  for  that  of  the 
sixteenth  century. 

If  the  reader  intends  to  take  all  of  these  three 
tours  he  should  begin  with  (c),  then  take  (6),  and 
lastly  (a).  If  he  can  take  but  two,  then  begin  witli 
(b)  and  end  with  (a).  If  there  is  time  but  for  one, 
(a)  is  the  best.  The  automobilist  may  unfold  his 
maps  and  prepare  a  combination  trip  if  he  likes,  for 
that  is  one  of  the  licensed  joys  of  automobiling.  The 
old-fashioned  traveller  by  railway  will,  however,  find 
the  order  here  set  out  the  most  convenient  one. 

There  is  a  splendid  series  of  medallion  windows 
around  the  choir  chapels  of  the  Cathedral  of  Cler- 
mont-Ferrand, but  it  is  too  far  out  of  our  way  to  be 
properly  included  in  any  of  the  above  tours.  Rouen, 
too,  has  fine  medallion  work  of  this  period  in  its 
cathedral,  but  the  later  glass  there  is  so  much  more 
interesting  that  we  will  not  include  it  in  these  groups, 

40 


3TH  CENTURY  TOURS. 


(a)  Boitrges,  Poitiers,  Tours,  Angers,  Le  Mans,  Chart  res. 

(b)  Auxerre,  Sens,  Troyes,  Chalons,  Rheivis. 

(c)  Soissovs,  Laon,  St.  Quentin,  Amiens. 

{For  table  of  distances,  see  f>age  29J.) 


THIRTEENTH  CENTURY 

Both  these  towns  will  be  visited  later  in  their  ap- 
propriate order,  and  we  shall  then  have  an  oppor- 
tunity to  enjoy  their  delightful  thirteenth  century 
windows. 


'41 


BOURGES 

The  writer  will  never  forget  his  first  impression  of 
Bourges  Cathedral,  as,  mounted  on  a  bicycle,  he  ap- 
proached it  over  the  rolling  country  that  lies  to  the 
east  towards  Nevers.  For  a  long  time  it  seemed  a 
great  rock  rising  from  the  plain,  which  steadily  grew 
larger  and  larger  until,  all  at  once,  it  took  on  the 
outlines  of  a  huge  cathedral.  Fantastic  as  it  may 
seem  in  the  telling,  this  vast  bulk  looming  up  against 
the  sky  exactly  symbolised  for  him  the  word  "Bour- 
ges." To  fully  appreciate  this  great  church  one 
should  approach  it  this  way  and  let  it  grow  before 
one's  eyes.  This  is  true  of  but  few  cathedrals,  among 
which  there  is  an  easily  recalled  instance  in  England. 
IN^o  one  ever  realises  all  the  soft  grey  beauty  of  Ely 
unless,  thanks  to  his  slow  progress  down  the  river 
Ouse,  he  has  seen  it  gradually  arise  from  the  green 
setting  of  fen  lands.  Perhaps  one  reason  why  Bourges, 
when  viewed  from  a  distance,  does  not  immediately 
disclose  itself  to  be  a  cathedral  is  because  one  sees  no 
perpendicular  lines.  On  one  side  the  great  tower  so 
tapers  as  to  seem  to  slant  inward,  while  on  the  other 
side  the  flying  buttresses  present  an  even  greater 

42 


THIRTEENTH  CEXTURY 

divergence  from  the  perpendicular.  All  this  in- 
creases the  rock-like  appearance  and  defers  the  reali- 
sation that  it  is  architecture  and  not  nature  until  one 
is  so  near  as  to  perceive  some  of  the  details.  In  one 
respect  Bourges  is  like  the  town  of  Amiens,  in  that 
nearly  all  its  architectural  beauty  is  centred  in  the 
cathedral  and  seems  to  have  been  content  to  bourgeon 
and  blossom  there.  Bourges  has,  however,  one  ad- 
vantage in  possessing  a  Avonderful  ^^house  that  Jack 
built,"  the  fifteenth  century  palace  of  Jacques  Coeur, 
a  rich  merchant  and  banker  whose  wealth  was  the 
cause  of  his  final  overthrow  and  banishment  on  a 
trumped-up  charge  of  debasing  the  coinage.  Even 
the  fact  that  he  had  lent  money  freely  to  Charles 
VII  did  not  save  him.  Later  on  (page  151)  we  shall 
consider  the  cathedral's  fifteenth  century  glass,  and 
we  shall  then  examine  the  splendid  window  given  by 
Jacques  Coeur,  perhaps  the  finest  that  period  can 
show.  Chief  among  the  charms  of  the  cathedral's 
exterior  are  the  splendid  five-port  ailed  west  front, 
and  the  lace-like  garment  of  flying  buttresses  that 
gracefully  hangs  about  its  sides  and  east  end.  The 
great  apse  is  built  upon  the  remains  of  the  old  Roman 
walls,  which  so  elevates  it  above  the  neighbouring 
houses  as  to  provide  a  clear  view  of  the  flying  but- 
tresses. Unfortunately,  the  west  front  does  not  fare 
so  well.  There  is  hardly  a  cathedral  in  Europe  so 
shut  in  on  the  west  by  adjoining  buildings.  They 
huddle  so  closely  about  it  that  one  has  no  opportunity 

43 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  m  FRAIN^CE 

to  stand  off  and  properly  observe  the  elaborate  carv- 
ings and  other  architectural  features  that  unite  to 
make  the  beauty  of  this  famous  fa§ade.  From  the 
way  in  which  each  succeeding  story  decreases  in 
size,  it  is  easy  to  see  why  the  big  northern  tower  ap- 
peared to  slant  inward  when  viewed  from  a  distance. 
Like  one  of  the  cathedral  towers  at  Rouen,  it  is 
named  the  Tour  du  Beurre  because  it  was  built  with 
money  received  from  the  sale  of  indulgences  to  eat 
butter  during  Lent. 

Most  Americans  have,  during  the  day-dreams 
of  their  childhood,  conjured  up  a  mental  picture 
of  the  vast  interior  of  an  ancient  cathedral, 
and  of  the  mysteriously  impressive  gloom  that 
would  some  day  there  meet  their  eyes.  It  is  doubt- 
ful if  any  other  church  more  completely  realises  this 
fancy  of  our  childhood.  As  one  enters  the  great 
building  he  receives  an  impression  never  to  be  for- 
gotten. A  feeling  of  vastness  lays  hold  upon  one 
even  more  strongly  than  at  Beauvais  and  Amiens, 
both  of  which  are  actually  loftier.  Here  the  seem- 
ing height  is  increased  by  the  five  rows  of  windows, 
one  above  the  other.  This  addition  to  the  usual  allot- 
ment of  three  tiers  (lower  arches,  triforium  and  clere- 
story) gives  an  unusual  number  of  light  apertures. 
While  there  are  no  transepts,  their  absence  leaves  un- 
broken the  lines  of  the  side  walls  and  thus  increases 
the  apparent  size  of  the  interior.  And  what  a  wealth 
of  thirteenth  century  glass !    It  gleams  and  glows  and 

44 


THIRTEENTH  CENTURY 

glistens  on  every  side,  near  at  hand  and  far  off  in  the 
soft  richness  of  the  choir  chapels.  We  find  it  every- 
where except  in  the  nave  chapels,  which  were  glazed 
in  the  fifteenth  century.  Perhaps  if  it  were  not  for 
the  increased  light  which  these  later  panels  admit, 
we  might  find  the  church  too  much  darkened  by  its 
sombre  earlier  glass.  It  is  clear,  however,  that  care 
was  taken  even  from  the  first  to  sufficiently  illumine 
the  nave,  because  it  possesses  a  fine  series  of  thirteenth 
century  grisaille  windows,  enriched  and  enlivened  by 
broad  borders  of  colour.  The  noble  chapels  that  en- 
circle the  choir  show  us  the  effect  of  mosaic  medal- 
lions at  their  best.  Above  in  the  clerestory,  "like 
watchmen  on  a  leaguered  wall,"  are  stationed  a  glori- 
ous row  of  large  figures  which  are  not  to  be  surpassed 
anywhere.  The  richness  of  their  costumes,  of  the 
backgrounds,  even  of  the  borders,  is  most  sumptuous. 
We  have  already  noted  the  absence  of  the  transepts. 
On  our  travels  we  shall  notice  that  the  north  and 
south  ends  of  transepts  generally  contain  great  rose 
windows.  To  compensate  the  glass  artist  for  their 
absence  here,  the  architect  gave  him  an  opportunity 
to  glaze  an  elaborate  series  of  forty-five  small  ones. 
They  extend  all  around  the  interior,  no  two 
alike,  and  must  be  seen  for  one  to  appreciate  how 
greatly  they  add  to  the  interest  and  charm  of  the 
cathedral.  It  is  contended  by  some  that  Bourges 
provides  the  finest  field  for  the  study  of  thirteenth 
century  glass,  but  in  this  opinion  we  cannot  agree,  al- 

45 


STAINED  GLASS  TOUKS  IN  FEANCE 

though  gladly  admitting  everything  else  claimed  for  it 
by  its  staunchest  adherents.  Our  reason  for  preferring 
Chartres  is  that  it  has  more  windows,  and  that  they 
are  practically  all  of  the  same  period,  so  that  the 
eye  does  not  there  find  the  distraction  caused  here  by 
the  fifteenth  century  glazing  of  the  nave  chapels. 
We  prefer  to  rank  the  first  four  in  the  following  order 
of  excellence:  Chartres,  Bourges,  Rheims,  and  Le 
Mans.  It  will  be  interesting  to  learn  whether  or  not 
the  reader  agrees  with  us.  At  any  rate  he  should  see 
them,  and  now  that  we  have  enticed  him  so  far  away 
from  Paris,  he  will  find  it  as  eas;^  to  return  by  the 
route  that  includes  them  as  by  any  other. 


^6 


POITIERS 

Among  the  many  beauties  of  France  must  cer- 
tainly be  accounted  its  ^^cities  built  upon  a  hill." 
There  are  a  goodly  number  of  them  and  their  lofty 
position  has  tended  to  preserve  them  from  change 
more  than  cities  so  placed  that  their  expansion  into 
suburbs  was  easier.  Without  doubt  there  is  some- 
thing fascinating,  something  irresistibly  dominating 
about  a  to^vn  that  looks  down  upon  us.  Fortunate  it 
is  for  us  lovers  of  the  picturesque,  whom,  alas,  the 
uses  of  modern  convenience  have  made  "dwellers  in 
the  plain,"  that  during  mediaeval  times  the  vital  need 
of  safety  forced  its  citizens  to  seek  the  refuge  of 
heights!  No  one  can  question  the  right  of  quaint 
old  Poitiers  to  be  as  haughty  as  hill  towns  have  al- 
ways been — nay,  haughtier.  Think  of  the  days  when 
through  the  House  of  Plantagenet  she  gave  rulers  to 
England — when  these  same  kings  governed  not  only 
England  but  also  the  whole  western  half  of  France ! 
We  do  not  always  remember  what  a  long  strip  of 
territory  was  ruled  by  the  Angevin  dynasty,  stretch- 
ing all  the  way  from  the  Pyrenees  across  the  Channel 
and  up  to  Scotland.    One  of  the  greatest  encounters 

.4T 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

that  marked  the  long  and  bitter  struggle  between  the 
English  and  French  was  the  Battle  of  Poitiers,  when 
in  1356  the  English  under  the  Black  Prince  defeated 
and  took  prisoner  John  the  Good  of  France  and 
slew  11,000  Frenchmen.  It  was,  indeed,  a  bloody 
baptism  when  our  hill  towTi  stood  sponsor  to  such  a 
conflict  of  warring  nations. 

There  are  few  cities  in  France  which  more  richly 
repay  a  visit  than  this  rather  out-of-the-way  place,  and 
fewer  still  which  have  so  many  varied  inducements 
to  offer.  The  architectural  remains  are  not  only  in- 
teresting but  differ  materially  in  character  and  epoch. 
The  situation  of  the  city  is  most  striking.  It  is 
perched  on  the  top  of  a  flat-iron  shaped  hill  upon  the 
point  of  which  the  picturesque  Jardin  de  Blossac 
smiles  do\vn  upon  the  winding  river  Clain.  It  is 
not  in  this  book  that  you  should  look  for  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  wonderful  triple  interpenetrated  chim- 
ney of  the  Palais  de  Justice,  nor  the  fourth  century 
church  of  St.  Jean,  nor  the  ivory-like  carvings  on  the 
fagade  of  Notre  Dame  de  la  Garde.  Hie  thee  to  a 
guide-book  for  these,  and  the  like  of  them,  and  let 
us  to  our  quest !  In  all  glass  of  this  period,  nay,  of 
any  period  or  any  century,  we  shall  never  find  a  more 
splendid  window  than  the  Crucifixion  at  the  east  end 
of  the  cathedral.  In  our  introduction  we  said  that 
glass  should  not  be  studied  from  written  description, 
but  that  it  must  be  seen.  Of  this  window  this  ob- 
servation is  even  more  true  than  of  any  other.     Its 

48 


THIRTEENTH  CEIN^TURY 

breadth  and  size  indicate  that  it  dates  from  early  in 
the  century.  The  harmony  and  the  beauty  of  its 
colours  are  beyond  words  to  describe.  Indeed,  so 
ingeniously  are  they  combined  to  produce  their  effect, 
that  the  detail  is  apt  to  escape  the  observer.  Even 
after  spending  some  time  before  it  he  may  be  sur- 
prised to  learn  that  the  cross  is  ruby-red  and  that 
the  hair  of  the  Saviour  is  blue.  If  he  had  read 
this  in  a  book  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  con- 
vince him  that  the  result  could  be  one  of  such  great 
beauty.  Unfortimately  for  the  many  excellent 
medallion  windows  in  this  cathedral,  there  are  also 
a  great  number  of  uncoloured  ones.  It  does  not  take 
us  long  to  decide  that  a  medallion  window  should 
never  be  lighted  from  within,  because  that  enables 
one  to  see  the  cumbersome  machinery  used  to  produce 
its  effect.  One  should  never  become  aware  of  the  nu- 
merous small  pieces  of  unevenly  surfaced  glass  and 
the  vast  complexity  of  leads  which  in  combination 
produce  such  glorious  results,  but  only  when  the  light 
comes  from  without.  'Not  only  do  these  white  panes 
reveal  these  ugly  details,  but  by  their  glare  they 
effectually  extinguish  the  warm  glow  which  we  are 
accustomed  to  expect  from  the  richly-coloured  mosaics 
of  the  medallions.  Xear  the  west  end  there  is  a  good 
deal  of  fine  strapwork  grisaille  evidently  put  there 
to  light  that  end  of  the  church  in  contrast  to  the 
dimmer  light  which  must  have  prevailed  at  the  east 
end  when  all  the  medallions  were  still  in  place.  Even 

49 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

if  there  Avere  not  many  fine  thirteenth  century  panels 
in  this  cathedral,  and  even  if  the  town  itself  were  not 
full  of  many  interesting  sights,  still  we  would  have 
been  amply  repaid  for  our  visit  by  the  Crucifixion 
window,  the  chef  d'a?uvre  of  its  time. 

Near  the  cathedral  is  the  church  of  St.  Rade- 
gonde.  This  long  narrow  edifice  has  no  transepts, 
nor,  indeed,  the  usual  division  into  choir  and  nave, 
and  yet  it  boasts  of  a  rose  window,  and  a  fine  one, 
too,  over  its  northern  portal.  The  colour  is  really  de- 
lightful and  contains  much  of  the  brilliant  blue  for 
which  Poitiers  is  famous.  Its  chief  interest  is 
that  instead  of  having  its  figures  broken  up 
so  as  to  monotonously  radiate  from  the  centre 
(which  is  generally  true  of  rose  windows)  they 
are,  so  to  speak,  right  side  up,  and  all  participate  in 
forming  the  picture  of  the  '"Last  Judgment."  There 
is  some  thirteenth  century  glass  on  the  southern  side 
of  this  church,  but  not  so  well  preserved  or  so  good. 
The  windows  on  the  northern  side  between  the  north 
portal  and  the  east  end  are  of  the  next  century  and 
will  be  considered  later  (page  172).  We  may  say,how- 
ever,  in  passing,  that  they  are  unique  in  that  they 
have  bright  figures  distributed  upon  a  grisaille  back- 
ground which  is  surrounded  by  a  border  of  rich 
colour. 


^60^ 


TOUES 

Of  all  the  great  battles  which  have  marked  the 
world's  history  there  are  few,  if  anv,  which  so  dis- 
tinctly stand  out  from  the  centuries  as  the  Battle  of 
Tours.  It  was  this  bloody  victory  which  in  732  rolled 
back  the  world-conquering  Saracens  and  determined 
that  Europe  should  be  Christian  and  not  Moslem.  On 
that  epoch-making  day,  the  bloody  axe  of  Charles 
Martel  graved  deep  his  name  on  the  annals  of  France. 
But  Tours  has  many  another  claim  to  historic  re- 
noAvn.  Touraine,  the  province  of  which  it  is  the 
capital,  is  strewed  with  magnificent  chateaux,  whose 
very  elaboration  and  beauty  testify  to  how  greatly 
French  royalty  and  nobility  loved  its  temperate  cli- 
mate. On  our  way  from  Poitiers  to  Tours,  we  shall 
pass  through  several  charming  little  valleys  and  find 
attractive,  though  quiet,  scenery,  during  most  of  the 
journey.  The  immediate  surroundings  of  Tours  are 
not  pleasing.  It  impresses  one  as  a  dull,  grey  city 
seated  demurely  beside  the  sands  that  so  ungracefully 
border  most  of  the  lower  part  of  the  river  Loire. 
There  is  little  to  recall  the  echoes  of  the  great  battle 
and    less    still    to    remind    one    of    the    delightful 

61 


STAINED  GLASS  TOUKS  IN  FRANCE 

inedisBval  residences  which  are  such  an  attractive 
feature  throughout  the  rest  of  Touraine. 

Although  the  cathedral  was  under  construction  all 
the  way  from  the  twelfth  century  to  the  sixteenth,  its 
various  styles  are  so  combined  as  to  make  it  an  in- 
teresting building.  It  does  not,  however,  seem  to 
merit  the  enthusiastic  praise .  lavished  upon  it  by 
Henry  IV  and  many  another  of  its  admirers.  The 
chief  objection  to  the  interior  is  that  it  appears  op- 
pressively narrow.  The  explanation  of  this  cramped 
effect  is  that  the  architect  did  not  avail  himself  of 
the  usual  device  of  slightly  increasing  its  width  as  the 
walls  rose.  This  was  generally  done  elsewhere  and 
served  to  correct  the  contracted  appearance  which  per- 
spective tends  to  give  as  one  looks  up  from  the  floor. 
This  architectural  trick  is  an  old  one,  for  we  know 
that  the  Greeks  used  it  not  only  in  shaping  the  sides 
of  their  columns,  but  also  to  preserve  the  appearance 
of  straightness  in  the  chief  horizontal  lines  of  their 
buildings.  In  the  absence  of  this  device  the  walls 
seem  to  crowd  together  above  us,  thus  accentuating 
the  unpleasant  narrowness  of  the  nave. 

The  fine  rosaces  in  the  ends  of  the  transepts  con- 
tain fourteenth  century  glass,  and  the  western  rose 
with  its  gallery  of  eight  lancets  below,  excellent  Re- 
naissance glazing.  The  chief  glory  of  the  interior, 
however,  is  the  fine  medallion  panels  all  through  the 
choir,  not  only  in  the  chapels,  but  also,  and  most  un- 

52 


thiktee:n'th  century 

usually,  in  the  fifteen  large  lights  of  the  clerestory. 
These  clerestory  medallions  date  from  the  latter  part 
of  the  century,  and  their  lateness  is  evidenced  in  a 
number  of  ways,  among  others,  by  the  fact  that  the 
medallions  are  oval  instead  of  round  and  also  that 
they  extend  to  the  edge  of  the  embrasure,  leaving  lit- 
tle or  no  room  for  the  border.  This  can  also  be  ob- 
served in  the  easternmost  choir  windows  of  Coutances 
Cathedral.  We  have  noted  before  that  the  choir 
clerestory  at  this  time  was  generally  given  over  to 
large  figures  of  kings,  bishops,  etc.,  in  order  to  se- 
cure more  light  than  medallions  would  admit.  In  the 
Tours  clerestory  the  fifth  window  on  the  right  and 
the  fifth  on  the  left  (just  above  the  great  al- 
tar) show  an  attempt  to  correct  the  darkening 
effect  of  the  medallions  by  alternating  with  them 
horizontal  stripes  of  grisaille.  Notice  that  in  the 
easternmost  embrasure  the  three  medallions  of  the 
second  tier,  when  considered  together,  form  a  pic- 
ture of  The  Last  Supper.  This  is  a  more  elaborate 
exposition  of  the  same  idea  exemplified  by  the  An- 
nunciation at  the  east  end  of  the  Clermont-Ferrand 
clerestory.  A  quaint  touch  is  observable  in  the  two 
medallions  which  show  little  figures  of  donors,  each 
holding  up  in  his  two  hands  a  model  of  his  gift  win- 
dow. One  of  these  is  in  the  left-hand  lower  corner  of 
the  window  just  left  of  the  eastern  one,  and  the  other 
in    the     right-hand    corner    of    the    sixth    on    the 

53 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FKANCE 

right  Some  of  the  Tours  choir  chapels  are  glazed 
in  white,  which  combined  with  the  pierced  triforium, 
serves  to  correct  the  lack  of  light  caused  bj  the  un- 
usual treatment  of  the  clerestory. 


64 


13TH  CENTURY   MEDALLION   LANCET, 
TOURS. 

The  shapes  o/ihe  medallions  vary  widely.  Difficult  to 
distinguish  the  little  pictures,  although  7ve  are  near  the 
ivindo7vs;  the  early  glazier  valued  the  colour  effect  0/  hif 
7t'indow  more  than  the  legends.  Later  his  picture  becomes 
larger,  and  0/ great  importance. 


A  BAD  name  dies  hard  and  often  lingers  years 
after  it  is  no  longer  deserved.  A  striking  example  of 
this  is  found  in  the  now  unjust  appellation,  "Black 
Angers."  Black  it  may  have  been  in  the  days  when 
its  streets  were  dirty  and  narrow,  but  black  it  is  no 
longer.  Black  it  may  have  seemed  to  the  towns- 
people when  their  humble  dwellings  were  frowned 
down  upon  by  the  seventeen  gloomy  towers  of  its 
haughty  thirteenth  century  castle,  l^ow  the  towers 
of  the  castle  are  razed,  the  walls  that  girdled  the  city 
are  tumbled  into  the  great  moat  to  form  broad  boule- 
vards, and  altogether  it  is  as  agreeable  a  place  as 
was  ever  vilified  by  an  outgrown  name.  Its  most  im- 
portant edifice,  St.  Maurice  Cathedral,  is  not  only 
a  perfect  treasure-house  of  glass,  but  is  also  the  de- 
pository of  a  profusion  of  admirable  tapestries.  Those 
interested  in  the  latter  will  find  here  (even  more  than 
at  Rheims)  what  an  added  inducement  they  provide 
for  the  sightseer.  AH  around  the  nave  are  suspended 
the  series  of  the  Apocalypse  (as  they  are  called), 
while  on  the  walls  of  the  transepts  are  yet  others  dat- 
ing from  the  fourteenth  to  the  eighteenth  centuries. 

65 


STAINED  GLASS  TOUKS  m  FRANCE 

Nor  are  these  all,  for  packed  away  in  chests  are  many 
more,  which  upon  the  occasion  of  certain  church  fes- 
tivals are  brought  out  to  hang  in  a  row  around  the 
outside  of  the  cathedral.  In  fact,  it  is  only  on  these 
festival  days  that  one  learns  that  the  interior  wall 
space  is  insufficient  to  display  half  of  the  church's 
possessions.  Having  set  out  this  additional  reason 
for  visiting  St.  Maurice  Cathedral,  let  us  now  turn  to 
its  chief  charm,  the  splendid  twelfth  and  thirteenth 
century  glazing.  We  shall  find  the  nave  windows 
filled  with  the  largest  and  best  preserved  collection  of 
twelfth  century  glass  that  exists.  They  are  very  wide 
and  high,  characteristic  of  that  early  period.  In 
the  choir  there  are  fourteen  excellent  examples  of 
the  thirteenth  century  medallion  type,  and  there  are 
others  in  the  transepts.  We  shall  not  now  speak  of 
the  two  great  fifteenth  century  rose  windows,  nor  of 
the  very  large  canopy  ones  which  adorn  the  tran- 
septs, nor  of  the  few  sixteenth  century  panels.  It  is 
proper  to  say  here,  however,  that  they  are  excellent 
examples  of  those  later  periods,  thus  rendering  this 
cathedral  one  of  the  best  in  which  to  compare  glass 
styles  all  the  way  from  the  twelfth  century  to  the 
sixteenth.  The  chief  glory  of  the  edifice,  however, 
consists  of  those  which  date  from  the  early  mosaic 
period.  So  few  and  so  unsatisfactory  are  the  re- 
mains elsewhere  found  of  twelfth  century  glass, 
and  so  excellent  are  they  here,  that  it  is  to  this  church 
that  one  should  come  to  study  it.    It  is  a  most  fortu- 

66 


THIRTEENTH  CENTUEY 

nate  coincidence  for  the  student  that  the  same  in- 
terior also  contains  many  of  the  best  types  of  the 
thirteenth  century,  because  this  very  contiguity  en- 
ables him  to  conveniently  contrast  them  with  those 
of  the  twelfth.  The  finer  distinctions  between 
their  traits  are  much  more  noticeable  to  him 
where  the  examples  are  side  by  side  than  they  would 
be  if  he  had  to  carry  the  picture  in  his  mind  from 
one  place  to  another.  He  will  at  once  notice  that  the 
earlier  borders  are  much  wider  than  the  later  ones; 
some  of  those  in  the  nave  occupy  nearly  one-fourth  of 
the  window  space  on  each  side,  or  in  other  words,  if 
brought  together,  the  borders  would  fill  nearly  half 
of  the  entire  ^\ddth  of  the  embrasure.  He  will  also 
observe  that  the  figures  in  the  earlier  ones  are  made 
of  larger  pieces  of  glass  and  have  the  draperies  more 
tightly  drawn  about  them.  It  is  very  significant 
that  the  pieces  of  glass  are  larger  in  the  earlier  win- 
dows: note  this  carefully,  because  in  many  books 
we  are  told  that  the  later  artist  of  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury had  no  choice  but  to  content  himself  with  the 
small  morsels  of  glass,  as  he  had  no  others.  Thus  they 
would  have  us  believe  that  his  wonderful  jewelled 
glow  Avas  merely  the  lucky  result  of  having  noth- 
ing but  small  fragments  at  his  disposal.  Even  so 
brief  a  study  of  twelfth  century  glass  as  to  show  that 
the  pieces  then  used  were  uniformly  larger  than 
those  of  the  thirteenth  or  jewel  period,  is  enough  to 
demonstrate  that  the  later  artist  deliberately  used  the 

67 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IX  FRANCE 

smaller  bits  even  with  the  added  trouble  of  more 
leading.  He  did  so  for  the  very  purpose  of  obtain- 
ing the  sparkle  and  sheen  that  was  never  achieved 
before  nor  since,  and  therefore  he  should  receive  due 
credit  for  his  results.  A  close  examination  of  both 
the  choir  and  nave  windows  will  yield  us  many  quaint 
and  interesting  details.  The  first  on  the  left  con- 
tains a  large  Virgin  placed  upon  a  panel  occupying 
all  of  the  window  that  is  not  given  over  to  a  wide 
gi'isaille  border.  Six  small  medallions  are  arranged 
about  this  panel,  half  of  each  on  the  panel  and  half 
protruding  over  the  border.  One  of  these  small 
medallions  is  placed  at  each  corner  and  one  in  the 
middle  of  the  two  long  sides,  like  the  pockets  on  a 
pool  table.  The  charming  elaboration  and  colour 
work  of  the  twelfth  century  borders  throughout  the 
nave  cannot  fail  to  be  noticed. 

The  set  of  thirteenth  century  windows  placed 
about  the  choir  have  some  gorgeous  blues  and 
brilliant  rubies.  The  fifth,  counting  from  the 
left  side,  proves  to  be  a  Tree  of  Jesse  window, 
a  sort  of  pictorially  genealogical  tree  which  we 
will  frequently  encounter  on  our  travels.  In  this 
case  the  treatment  is  unusual,  as  the  vine,  winding 
up  throughout  the  window  from  the  loins  of  Jesse  in 
the  lowest  medallion,  not  only  distributes  its  his- 
torical personages  over  the  central  panes,  but  also  up 
and  down  the  borders  as  well.     The  very  wide  em- 

68 


THIRTEE:^rTH  CENTUEY 

brasures  of  this  church  give  us  an  excellent  oppor- 
tunity of  studying  the  colours  of  this  period. 

While  we  are  in  Angers  we  must  visit  the  church 
of  St.  Serge.  As  we  are  now  seeking  early  glass  the 
chief  interest  of  this  small  interior  consists  of  the 
five  grisaille  windows  of  the  twelfth  century  which, 
with  their  graceful  design  of  pale  brownish  strap- 
work  picked  out  and  accentuated  by  points  of  colour, 
leave  little  to  be  desired  in  their  soft  beauty.  They 
are  to  be  found  in  the  choir,  and  are  considered  by 
most  authorities  to  be  the  best  type  of  twelfth  century 
grisaille  work  that  exists.  During  a  later  pilgrim- 
age we  shall  come  again  to  this  church  to  inspect  the 
attractive  fifteenth  century  canopy  windows  which 
decorate  the  nave  clerestory  (see  page  175). 


59 


LE  MANS 

The  great  personages  in  the  windows  of  St. 
Julien  C'athedral  looked  down  upon  a  portentous 
spectacle  on  that  day  in  the  year  1133,  when  Henry 
I  of  England  stood  holding  in  his  arms  his  little 
grandson,  Henry  Plantagenet,  to  be  baptised  by  the 
Bishop  of  Le  Mans.  The  vast  throng  that  gathered 
for  this  ceremony,  both  within  and  without  the  newly 
completed  cathedral,  little  thought  that  the  helpless 
babe  would  one  day  become  not  only  Henry  II,  King 
of  England,  but  also  the  ruler  of  the  mighty  Ange- 
vin empire,  which  included  all  of  England  and  the 
western  half  of  France.  They  could  not  have  fore- 
seen that  this  little  one  would  cause  the  House  of 
Plantagenet  to  take  its  place  in  history  as  one  of 
the  greatest  of  royal  houses.  Strange  sights  have 
these  splendid  old  windows  gazed  down  upon,  but 
never  have  they  tempered  the  glare  of  the  sun  for 
die  christening  of  a  babe  who  so  widely  outgrew  tho 
place  of  his  birth.  In  one  way  or  another  this  cathe- 
dral has  been  connected  with  many  a  royal  family. 
In  its  archives  we  read  that  when  in  November, 
1217,  it  was  decided  to  extend  the  choir  over  the 

60 


•      THIKTEENTH  CENTURY 

Gallo-Eoman  wall,  not  only  was  the  consent  of  King 
Philip  Aug-ustus  necessary,  but  also  that  of  Queen 
Berengaria,  the  widow  of  Eichard  Coeur  de  Lion. 
This  double  approval  was  needed,  since  Philip  Au- 
gustus, although  overlord,  had  given  Le  Mans  to 
Queen  Eerengaria  in  settlement  of  her  claims  upon 
certain  Norman  towns  which  he  had  captured. 
Perched  upon  a  hill  rising  from  the  river  Sarthe  the 
cathedral  soars  into  the  air  from  its  lofty  site  as 
boldl^y  as  befits  the  chief  sanctuary  of  an  embattled 
city  boasting  of  more  than  twenty  sieges.  Impres- 
sive as  it  is  from  the  river,  it  is  still  more  so  from  the 
little  plain  which  lies  just  below  it  inside  the  town. 
There  is  hardly  a  cathedral  whose  east  end  is  so 
beautifully  revealed  as  is  St.  Julien's  from  this  view- 
point. We  cannot  help  but  be  deeply  impressed  as 
it  swings  out  clear  against  the  sky,  girdled  by  its 
thirteen  chapels,  hung  about  by  its  innumerable 
flying  buttresses  and  to  us  rendered  specially  allur- 
ing by  the  great  area  of  window  space  filled  with 
the  many  lead  lines  and  heavy  iron  saddle-bars  which 
we  have  learnt  to  know  mean  glazing  of  the  thir- 
teenth century.  The  view  of  the  east  end  of  an  elabo- 
rate Gothic  church  is  always  fascinating,  but  in  this 
instance  its  height  above  us,  the  great  number  of 
chapels  and  the  unobstructed  view  make  it  unique. 
The  nave  was  constructed  too  early  to  be  greatly 
elaborated,  but  if  compensation  is  needed,  it  is  fully 
provided  by  the  thoroughly  mediaeval  feeling  which 

61 


STAINED  GLASS  TOUKS  IN  FKANCE 

awaits  one  on  entering  the  little  square  just  before 
its  west  entrance.  The  opposite  side  of  the  square  is 
occupied  by  Le  Grabatoire,  an  ancient  dwelling  built 
in  the  first  half  of  the  sixteenth  century  and  in  an 
admirable  state  of  preservation.  The  traveller  in 
France  generally  finds  that  buildings  which  surround 
an  old  cathedral  are  so  much  more  recent  in  construc- 
tion that  they  provide  a  jarring  contrast.  Here  at 
Le  Mans,  on  the  contrary,  its  immediate  surroimd- 
ings  thoroughly  imbue  us  with  the  spirit  of  the  mid- 
dle ages  and  we  are  in  a  proper  frame  of  mind  to 
enter  the  portal  and  appreciate  the  Old  World  beauty 
inside.  The  interior  amply  fulfills  the  promises  of 
the  exterior.  The  luminous  glory  of  the  broad  surfaces 
of  the  glass  that  seem  suspended  about  the  lofty  choir 
is  something  long  to  be  remembered.  This  is  not  the 
place  to  speak  of  the  transepts  because  they  were 
glazed  in  the  fifteenth  century;  they  are  very  fine, 
especially  the  one  to  the  north.  Oddly  enough,  the 
south  end  of  the  south  transept  has  no  window  at 
all;  its  large  wall  space  serves  as  a  back  for  the 
organ  (see  page  178).  Let  us  begin  our  investigations 
with  the  nave.  Its  triforium  is  a  graceful  gallery,  but 
is  not  pierced,  while  the  clerestory  above  it  contains 
only  modern  glass,  and  therefore  they  will  not  long 
detain  us.  In  the  west  front  is  one  broad  window  of 
the  round  arched  Norman  type,  obviously  of  the 
period  which  we  are  now  considering.  Within  a  wide 
border  are  square  panels  representing  scenes  from 


THIKTEENTH  CE:N^TUKY 

the  life  of  St.  Julien,  after  whom  the  edifice  is 
named.  Although  this  window  is  very  broad,  even 
for  its  early  type,  it  is  nevertheless  not  large  enough 
to  appear  alone  in  the  great  west  wall,  and  as  a  result, 
it  narrows  the  appearance  of  the  nave.  When  we 
move  up  into  the  choir  and  look  back,  this  effect 
becomes  all  the  more  noticeable,  while  the  nave  is 
even  further  dwarfed  by  the  fact  that  the  architect, 
taking  advantage  of  the  greater  height  of  the  tran- 
septs, placed  a  clerestory  window  just  above  the 
point  where  the  ridge  pole  of  the  nave  joins  the  cross- 
ing. Thus  the  lone  west  window  and  the  clerestory 
opening  just  above  the  nave  roof  combine  to  lower 
and  contract  that  oldest  part  of  the  church.  But  to 
return  to  the  nave  windows;  all  the  lower  range 
are  small  and  all  modern  except  eight,  the  three 
western  ones  on  each  side  and  those  over  the 
two  smaller  west  entrances.  Of  these  eight  all  but 
two  are  medallions.  One  of  them  (the  third  from 
the  west  on  the  north  side)  is  of  interest  because  it 
has  a  border  consisting  of  four  little  panels  on  each 
side  enclosing  figures.  This  sort  of  border  is  ex- 
tremely rare,  except  in  Tree  of  Jesse  windows,  where 
the  personages  are  sometimes  used  in  this  way  to 
help  make  ap  the  border.  An  instance  of  this  may 
be  seen  in  the  central  panel  of  the  second  triforium 
window  on  the  south  side  of  the  choir  and  it  may 
also  be  noticed  in  the  fifth  window  on  the  left  in  the 
east  end  of  Angers  Cathedral.    We  have  just  said  that 

63 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

all  but  two  of  these  lower  nave  lights  are  filled 
with  medallions — of  these  two  (the  second  and  third 
on  the  south  side),  one  might  write  a  book.  The 
writer  prefers  the  second  window  to  any  other  in 
France.  It  was  made  some  time  between  1093  and 
1120  and  represents  the  "Ascension."  As  this  book 
is  not  written  to  describe  glass,  but  only  to  persuade 
the  reader  to  view  it,  we  will  content  ourselves  by 
saying  "go  and  see."  The  blue  and  the  ruby  back- 
grounds have  a  limpidity  of  colour  that  cannot  be 
rivalled.  Of  the  third  window  it  is  fair  to  say  that 
some  of  the  panes  were  brought  from  other  embra- 
sures of  this  church.  The  upper  panel,  enclosing  a  bust 
of  Christ,  with  the  drapery  of  blue  and  a  blue  halo 
upon  a  background  of  ruby  sprinkled  with  blue  stars, 
is  most  delightful.  These  two  are  indeed  treasures 
and  are  all  that  were  left  by  the  ravages  of  the  great 
fire  which  in  1120  destroyed  the  earlier  church. 
Passing  from  the  nave  to  the  choir  we  are  at  once 
struck  by  the  grandiose  effect  there  caused  by  the 
loftier  sweep  of  its  lines.  The  choir  chapels  have 
lost  nearly  all  their  original  glazing,  but  fortunately 
that  little  gem,  the  Lady  Chapel,  still  has  all  its 
eleven  windows  filled  with  medallions.  These  en- 
circling chapels  not  only  give  great  width  to  the 
choir,  but  still  further  width  is  added  by  the  fact 
that  the  am.bulatory  is  double.  The  first  triforium 
that  goes  around  above  us  is  not  pierced,  but  just 

64 


THIKTEENTH  CENTUKY 

above  it  we  find  the  spacious  embrasures  of  the  second 
triforium.    These  latter  are  the  largest  of  their  kind 
the  writer  has  ever  seen;  in  fact,  they  are  large 
enough  to  be  placed  in  the  clerestory  of  most  cathe- 
drals.    Not   satisfied   with   these,   the   architect   has 
still  further  increased  the  lighting  of  the  choir  and 
given  greater  scope  for  the  glazier  by  placing  above 
this  second  triforium  the  lofty  windows  of  the  true 
clerestory,  those  toward  the  west  of  six  lancets  each, 
and  those  toward  the  east  of  two.     All  the  panels  of 
this  great  curtain  of  light  are  glazed  in  the  mosaic 
style,  but  the  pieces  of  glass   used   are  noticeably 
larger  than  we  have  been  accustomed  to  find  in  the 
medallion  treatment.     As  a  result,  the  amount  of 
leading  is   reduced   and   a  great  deal  more  colour 
meets  our  eye,  colour  whose  individual  tones  we  can 
recognise,  and  not  the  sort,  which,  conflicting  with 
other  colour,  produces  a  confused  purple.     At  St. 
Julien   Cathedral  we    get  a  richer  tone  from  the 
medallions  than  we  find  any^vhere  else,  but  this  gain 
in  richness  is  partially  offset  by  losing  some  of  the 
sparkling  gleam   which   would   have   resulted   from 
smaller  bits  of    glass  set  in  more  leads.     Perhaps 
some  of  our  readers  will  agree  with  Viollet-le-Duc 
and  other  great  architects  and  writers,  in  regarding 
this  choir  a  finer  monument  of  the  thirteenth  century 
than  that  of  Bourges  or  Chartres.     If  the  nave  of 
Le  Mans  Cathedral  were  as  splendidly  glazed  as  the 

65 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  m  rRA:N^CE 

other  parts  of  that  edifice,  we  might  have  to  re- 
consider our  opinion  that  Chartres  affords  the  best 
chance  for  the  student  of  that  early  period  to  pursue 
his  researches. 


S6 


OHARTRES 

Across  the  rolling  grain-covered  plain  of  La 
Beauee  winds  a  long  depression  worn  by  the  river 
Eure.  Along  the  side  of  this  depression  we  find 
Chartres,  sloping  gently  up  from  the  little  river  that 
bathes  its  feet  and  proudly  lifting  into  the  air  the 
grey  and  green  bulk  of  its  cathedral,  culminating  in 
the  two  finest  spires  in  France.  Its  light  stone  and 
the  softly-shaded  tiles  of  the  roof  combine  to  give  us 
a  delicious  impression  of  delicate  greenish  grey. 
This  softness  of  tone  outside  gives  no  hint  of  the 
minster  gloom  within,  athwart  which  shimmer  the 
rich  dark  rays  slanting  through  the  jewelled  win- 
dows. Kowhere  can  there  be  found  such  a  contrast 
between  the  exterior  and  interior  of  a  cathedral. 
This  marked  difference  serves  but  to  distinguish  and 
accentuate  the  special  charms  of  each,  and  together 
they  make  our  memory  of  the  cathedral  a  most 
precious  possession  of  our  mental  picture  gallery. 

As  the  pilgrim  enters  Chartres_Cflt^*^^^q1j  fhe^vp,  ip 
an  impressive  moment  at  hand^  for  him,  for  he  is 
penetratinjs;  the  Holy  of  Holies  of  stained  glass.  Not 
only  is  it  the  most  delightful  expression  of  the  thir- 

67 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

teenth  century,  but  also  of  any  century,  and  we 
speak  not  only  of  France,  but  of  all  Europe. 

One  is  almost  staggered  by  the  wealth  and  pro- 
fusion of  windows — 174 — and  nearly  all  of  the  thir- 
teenth century.  In  the  west  front  the  use  of  slightly 
larger  pieces  and  the  wonderful  limpidity  confirms 
the  fact  that  the  lovely  rose  showing  the  Last  Judg- 
ment, as  well  as  its  three  attendant  lancets  below, 
are  of  the  twelfth  century;  the  rest  of  the  interior 
was  glazed  in  the  next  century. 

Notwithstanding  all  that  has  been  written  of  this 
wonderful  glass,  more  still  remains  hidden  away  in 
its  pregnant  mystery,  that  mystery  that  lays  hold 
upon  all  who  view  it,  be  he  poet,  or  unromantic  fol- 
lower of  one  of  the  homely  trades  whose  guilds  have 
added  so  generously  to  the  tale  of  windows.  Nor 
have  revelations  of  this  mystery  been  made  alike  to 
all.  What  one  man  has  spelt  out  from  it  may  re- 
main incomprehensible  to  another.  The  obvious  fact 
to  one  mind  seems  to  another  but  a  quaint  conceit. 
Lasteyrie,  when  he  told  his  story  in  1841,  felt  that 
there  was  a,.marvellou8  sj5?bplism  about  the  change  in 
the  strength  of  the  light,  brighter  as  it  approached  the 
cross  formed  by  the  transepts  and  then  growing 
darker  as  one  withdrew  further  from  that  Christian 
emblem  of  spiritual  illumination.  To  him  this 
thought  was  full  of  great  charm  and  some  of  us  may 
agree  in  his  poetic  conception.  Others  may  feel 
that  the  brilliancy  of  the  remote  west  windows  seems 

68 


thirtee:nth  ceinttury 

to  refute  rather  than  support  his  theory.  It  is  cer- 
tain, however,  that  the  revelation  of  harmony  comes 
to  us  all  alike.  It  is  related  that  a  certain  lad 
thought  himself  listening  to  music  from  the  glass 
itself  when  the  organ  commenced  playing  during  the 
time  he  was  gazing  raptly  up  at  one  of  the  great  rose 
windows.  This  harmony  of  colours,  this  melodious 
flowing  of  tone  into  tone,  is  a  glimpse  vouchsafed  to 
us  all  into  the  solemn  mystery  that  dwells  within  this 
enchanted  bower  of  light. 
James  Russell  Lowell  says : 

"I  gaze  round  on  the  windows,  pride  of  France! 
Each  the  bright  gift  of  some  mechanic  guild. 
Who  loved  their  city  and  thought  gold  well  spent 
To  make  her  beautiful  with  piety." 

If  Rheims  is  to  be  known  as  the  cathedral  of  kings, 
or  Amiens  characterised  as  the  Bible  in  stone,  then 
Chartres  must  be  -styled  the  chi^f_  sanctri^r^  of^^ 
mediaBval  guilds.  We  have  spoken  of  the  splendid 
array  of  royalties  around  the  clerestory  of  Rheims, 
and  how  they  and  the  many  coronations  of  which 
they  are  reminiscent  fully  justify  the  proud  title  of 
^ 'Royal  Rheims."  Against  this  wealth  of  royal 
reminiscence  Chartres  can  show  but  one  coronation, 
that  of  Henry  IV.  So  far  was  he  from  being  dis- 
gruntled by  the  long  siege  necessitated  by  the  stub- 
born defence  of  its  burghers,  that  he  elected  to  be 
crowned  in  their  cathedral,  partly,  we  feel  sure,  to 

69 


stai:n"ed  glass  touks  m  France 

show  the  approval  of  a  warrior  king  for  their  fight- 
ing qualities.  No,  it  is  not  a  long  array  of  kings  that 
are  set  about  to  guard  its  windows  and  bear  witness 
to  their  power  and  beneficence.  At  Chartres,  more 
than  anywhere  in  France,  the  Middle  Ages  seem  to 
have  bequeathed  to  us  the  great  heartbeat  of  their 
middle  classes.  Here  we  see  about  us  the  sturdy 
workers  of  the  city,  the  guilds  of  its  industrious 
burghers.  True,  the  great  rose  windows  of  the  tran- 
septs show  us  the  royalty  and  chivalry  of  the  king- 
dom, but  somehow  they  seem  decorative  and. not 
dominating  as  thej  do_.  at  Rheims.  Nor  are  our 
friends  of  the  guilds  here  present  by  any  man's  let 
or  by  virtue  of  kingly  condescension.  At  Laon  there 
are  statues  of  oxen  in  the  cathedral  towers,  put  there 
in  kindly  remembrance  of  their  services  in  dragging 
up  the  great  stones  from  the  plain  far  below;  but  at 
Chartres  it  is  no  kindly  remembrance  that  has  dis- 
posed about  the  nave  and  elsewhere  the  glass  histories 
of  guild  upon  guild.  They  are  in  the  place  because 
they  are  of  the  place,  nor  is  there  any  attempt  to  dis- 
guise the  homely  occupations  of  the  donors.  In 
other  towns  we  occasionally  find  a  panel  bearing  a 
statement  that  it  was  presented  by  some  company 
of  craftsmen,  but  the  subject  is  almost  always  a 
scriptural  one  and  throws  no  light  upon  the  work-a- 
day  existence  of  the  members.  Here  it  is  very  differ- 
ent, for  so  proud  were  the  honest  workmen  of  the 
crafts  which  they  plied,  that  they  took  infinite  pains 

70 


THIETEEITTH  CENTUEY 

to  have  their  windows  set  out  scenes  descriptive  of  the 
work  and  life  of  the  association  which  gave  it.  The 
history  of  the  Chartres  guilds  is  well  worth  delving 
into,  and  one  finds  a  luminous  index  provided  by  the 
long  series  of  panels  around  the  lower  part  of  the 
nave.  The  glass  speaks  eloquently  of  how  well  or- 
ganised and  how  rich  were  the  middle  classes  of 
Chartres,  and  nowhere  else  can  anything  like  so  com- 
plete or  interesting  a  set  be  seen.  Goldsmiths,  cob- 
blers, vintners,  tanners,  moneychangers — so  the  list 
goes  on  until  it  swells  into  a  total  of  nearly  forty, 
and  of  each  there  is  provided  some  little  group  de- 
picting the  service  performed  for  the  community  by 
that  particular  trade.  Several  of  the  guilds  gave 
more  than  one  window,  nor  are  they  confined  to  the 
nave  aisles,  some  having  strayed  so  far  as  the  choir 
clerestory.  But  for  all  that  the  windows  here  speak 
more  eloquently  than  elsewhere  of  the  sturdy  crafts- 
men— the  bourgeoisie  that  formed  the  backbone  of  old 
France — ^we  must  not  forget  that  they  also  bear  wit- 
ness to  the  gallantry  and  generosity  of  the  knightly 
and  titled  classes.  To  glass  lovers  this  cathedral  has 
a  peculiar  interest  in  the  fact  that  St.  Louis  was 
baptised  within  its  walls.  May  we  not  be  permitted 
the  delusion  that  to  the  undeveloped  faculties  of  the 
royal  babe  the  wonderful  harmony  of  these  windows 
came  as  a  lullaby,  and  that  the  echo  of  this  lullaby 
finally  grew  into  the  great  love  for  stained  glass  which 
he  later  developed  ?    Of  this  love  we  ha\e  found  many] 

.71 


STAINED  GLASS  TOUKS  IN  FRANCE 

traces,  all  leading  up  to  its  ultimate  expression  in 
the  Ste.  Chapelle  of  Paris.  And  where  more  appro- 
priately could  a  French  king,  who  loved  glass,  have 
been  christened  ?  Where  else  would  he  have  had 
about  him  on  his  beloved  windows  such  an  array  of 
his  subjects,  representing  not  only  the  highest,  but 
also  those  of  humbler  rank,  a  bodyguard  of  four 
thousand  figures  of  nobles,  gentry,  burghers  and 
craftsmen?  Nor  are  these  figures  content  but 
to  decorate,  for  some  of  them  by  their  grouping 
serve  to  narrate  for  us  nearly  forty  legends.  A  splen- 
did proof  of  how  much  he  loved  this  cathedral,  so 
often  revisited  by  him,  is  afforded  by  his  splendid 
gift,  the  Rose  of  France,  as  they  call  the  great  win- 
dow in  the  north  transept.  Here  are  the  familiar 
combination  of  the  French  fleur  de  lis  and  the  castles 
of  Castile  showing  that  Louis  and  his  mother, 
Blanche  of  Castile,  joined  in  this  royal  gift.  In 
splendid  reds,  lemon-yellows  and  browns  it  tells  the 
story  of  the  glorification  of  the  Virgin,  thus  repeat- 
ing what  we  see  in  the  carvings  of  the  northern  porch. 
The  gorgeous  five  tall  pointed  windows  below  aid  it 
to  produce  a  glorious  ensemble.  Nor  is  it  only  in 
this  quarter  that  we  see  traces  of  the  nobler  classes, 
for  was  not  the  south  transept  end  decorated  in 
similar  wise  with  scenes  showing  the  glorification  of 
Christ,  the  gift  of  Dreux  and  Bretagne?  Again 
we  find  the  windows  inside  repeating  what  is  shown 
by  the  carvings  in  the  porch  outside.     The  five  tall 

72 


CROSSING  AND  SOUTH  TRANSEPT,    CHARTRES. 
(13TH   Century.) 

No  photograph  can  even  hint  at  the  wealth  of  deep,  warm  colour  that  fills 
these  windmvs.  The  early  date  0/  tliose  in  the  right  foreground  indicated  by 
their  broad  borders.  Belorv  the  Rose,  four  of  the  lancets  slio'iv  Evangelists 
borne  on  the  shoulders  of  Prophets. 


THIKTEEISTTH  CENTUKY 

pointed  lancets  under  this  rose  are  especially  note- 
worthy, for  the  two  which,  on  either  side,  flank  the 
middle  one  containing  Christ  are  each  filled  with 
an  Evangelist  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  a  Prophet, 
a  very  physical  way  of  depicting  the  power  of 
prophecy. 

This  is  not  the  place  to  tell  of  the  wonderful  carv- 
ings that  abound  within  and  without  this  great  tem- 
ple, and  are  especially  delightful  around  the  stone 
screen  that  separates  the  choir  from  the  ambulatory ; 
nor  shall  we  take  upon  us  to  speak  in  detail  of  the 
subterranean  chapel  to  the  Virgin  who  bore  a  Child, 
the  pagan  legends  concerning  whom  "the  memory  of 
man  runneth  not  to  the  contrary."  For  us  they  are 
but  accessories  to  the  wonderful  whole  which  pro- 
vides so  magnificent  a  casket  for  the  preservation  and 
exposition  of  the  most  splendid  heritage  of  windows 
that  has  come  down  to  us. 

Although  completely  outclassed  by  the  cathedraPs 
greater  glory,  the  glazing  of  the  church  of  St.  Pierre 
is  not  only  pleasing  to  the  eye,  but  also  provides  a 
very  complete  and  well-preserved  demonstration  of 
how  the  transition  was  effected  from  the  light-_ 
obstructing  mosaic  medallions  to  the  overlighted  in-, 
teriors  of  the  fourteenth  century  (see  page  188). 


73 


AUXEKRE 

Our  memories  of  architecture  are  generally  those 
of  form  and  not  of  colour.  To  this  rule  there  are, 
however,  a  few  exceptions,  and  of  these  the  cathedral 
of  St.  Etienne  at  Auxerre  is  one  of  the  most  note- 
worthy. One  remembers  it  chiefly  for  its  rich  brown 
colour,  partly  due  to  the  tint  of  the  stone  and  partly 
to  the  terra-cotta  tiles  which  cover  its  roof.  The 
deeper  hue  of  the  tiles  calls  out  all  the  warmth  in 
the  shading  of  the  stone  and  they  together  make  a 
mellow  brown  picture,  especially  attractive  if  seen 
for  the  first  time  in  the  tones  which  it  takes  on 
towards  twilight,  when  the  low  rays  of  the  sun  per- 
form for  it  the  same  service  that  they  do  for  the  in- 
terior of  the  Corpus  Christi  quadrangle  at  Oxford. 
Another  cathedral  whose  colour  lingers  in  our  mem- 
ory is  Chartres,  where  the  dull  green  tiles  of  the 
roof  tone  into  the  greyish  stone  of  the  building,  ac- 
centuating and  enriching  it,  and  leaving  with  us 
a  distinct  impression  of  a  soft-hued  grey  church. 
A  very  picturesque  city  is  Auxerre,  sloping  up 
from  the  river,  with  its  three  chief  churches  rising 
watchfully  above  the  monotonous  level  of  the  house- 

.74 


thirtee:n'th  cei^tury 

tops  like  huge  rocks  anchoring  the  city  more  firmly 
to  its  foundations,  l^ot  so  bulkily  impressive  but 
equally  noticeable  is  the  quaint  old  bell  tower,  which, 
from  its  great  height,  rings  out  every  now  and  again 
reminders  of  the  flight  of  time. 

The  proportions  of  the  cathedral  interior  are  very 
harmoniously  adjusted.  The  noticeable  features  are 
that  the  ambulatory  is  lower  than  the  nave,  and  that 
the  Lady  Chapel  at  the  east  end  is  square  instead  of 
being  rounded.  In  view  of  the  geographical  location 
of  Auxerre  one  would  expect  to  find  glass  of  the  more 
florid  Burgundian  type;  but  instead  it  is  clearly  of 
the  Champagne  school.  There  is  a  quantity  of  good 
sixteenth  century  glazing  and  we  would  especially 
call  the  visitor's  attention  to  the  fine  blues,  which  he 
should  not  fail  to  notice.  The  windows  we  have 
come  to  see,  however,  are  to  be  found  in  the  chapels 
and  the  upper  lights  of  the  choir.  Henri  Villeneuve 
in  1220  caused  to  be  placed  in  the  choir  clerestory 
the  great  row  of  fifteen,  each  consisting  of  two  bays 
surmounted  by  a  small  rose.  This  arrangement  is 
very  graceful  and  gives  an  agreeable  grouping.  The 
colouring  and  drawing  of  the  large  figures  with  which 
they  are  filled  testify  to  the  good  taste  of  their 
donor,  l^ov  are  the  windows  in  the  clerestory  any 
more  worthy  of  notice  than  the  twenty-nine  which  we 
shall  find  below  surrounding  the  choir  and  filling  the 
choir  chapels — almost  all  complete  and  containing 
fine  types  of  the  medallion  style.    The  three  nearest 

75 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

the  transepts  on  each  side  and  one  or  two  others  are 
glazed  in  white,  the  result  of  well-meaning  sacrilege 
on  the  part  of  the  monks  seeking  to  secure  more 
light.  Fortunately  their  hands  were  stayed,  so  that 
enough  of  the  old  panels  are  left  to  give  us  the 
jewelled  gleam  which  we  are  seeking.  There  is  an 
unique  arrangement  in  some  of  the  embrasures  of 
Auxerre  which  we  must  not  fail  to  note.  It  provides 
an  early  example  of  the  use  of  grisaille  to  increase 
the  illumination  of  the  interior.  In  several  instances 
the  coloured  figure  or  panel  has  two  borders,  the  one 
next  it  being  of  grisaille  and  the  outside  one  of  rich 
colour.  Possibly  the  contrast  will  strike  us  as  being 
too  marked.  We  shall  find  that  in  the  next  century 
this  combination  is  carried  to  such  an  extreme  as  to 
become  positively  disagreeable,  but  here  at  Auxerre 
it  is  so  skillfully  employed  that  it  is  not  at  all  un- 
pleasant. In  any  event,  it  is  far  better  than  white 
panes  used  for  the  same  purpose. 


Y6 


SENS 

In  these  days  of  telephones,  telegrams,  express 
trains,  automobiles,  newspapers  and  printed  books, 
it  is  difficult  for  us  to  realise  that  in  mediaeval  times 
thought  travelled  but  slowly,  and  that  two  cities  a 
few  leagues  apart  were  much  more  widely  separated 
than  they  would  now  be  if  divided  by  the  ocean.  To- 
day a  piece  of  news,  an  invention,  some  new  artistic 
method,  is  flashed  around  the  world  and  at  once 
meets  the  eye  of  millions  of  readers.  All  this 
excites  no  comment.  When,  however,  we  notice  that 
in  some  mediaeval  period  a  novelty  in  one  country 
very  shortly  thereafter  appeared  and  was  used  in  a 
neighbouring  one,  we  are  forced  to  conclude  that  there 
must  have  been  some  very  unusual  occurrence  to  have 
so  far  set  at  naught  the  difficulty  of  news  transmis- 
sion to  which  we  have  just  referred.  The  history 
of  the  middle  ages  does  not  contain  a  stranger  ex- 
ample of  such  a  rapid  spread  of  something  novel  than 
that  presented  by  the  story  of  how  and  of  why  Wil- 
liam of  Sens  (who,  in  building  the  Cathedral  of  Sens, 
constructed  the  first  thoroughly  Gothic  church)  came 
to  have  the  honour  of  introducing  Gothic  architec- 

77 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

ture  into  England  by  a  call  to  rebuild  Canterbury 
Cathedral.  It  so  happened  that  just  as  he  was  com- 
pleting his  great  work  and  disclosing  to  the  world 
the  new  beauty  of  Gothic  architecture,  Pope  Alex- 
ander III,  exiled  from  Rome,  took  up  his  residence 
at  Sens  (September  30,  1163,  till  April  11,  1165). 
It  is  recorded  that  on  the  19th  of  April,  1164,  sur- 
rounded by  a  gorgeous  array  of  cardinals  and  bish- 
ops gathered  there  in  attendance  upon  the  papal  resi- 
dence, he  consecrated  the  altar  of  the  Holy  Virgin  in 
the  cathedral  then  rapidly  approaching  completion. 
Where  the  Pope  was,  there  also  was  the  centre  of  the 
Christian  world,  and  thither  of  course  repaired  the 
clergy  from  all  parts  of  Europe.  These  distinguished 
pilgrims  were  witnesses  of  William's  first  bold  at- 
tempt at  the  pointed  arch,  the  chief  characteristic 
of  his  great  cathedral.  To  see  was  to  admire.  Its 
beauty  was  so  striking  that  they  could  not  fail  to 
remember  and  recount  it  when  they  returned  to  their 
home  towns,  thus  stimulating  other  architects  to  copy 
this  new  architecture.  Never  before  nor  since  had  a 
builder  so  well  timed  a  gathering  of  admiring  ec- 
clesiastics. Among  those  who  came,  and  saw,  and 
remembered,  was  Thomas  a  Eecket,  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury,  himself  an  exile  from  his  see.  He  dwelt 
four  years  at  Sens  (1166-70)  and  what  he  saw  there 
impelled  him  to  invite  William  of  Sens  in  preference 
to  all  the  English  architects  to  rebuild  the  Cathedral 
of  Canterbury.     It  would  seem  strange  even  now, 

78 


THIKTEENTH  CENTUEY 

and  a  thing  worthy  of  comment,  if  a  Erench  archi- 
tect were  chosen  to  construct  an  important  English 
church,  but  how  much  more  extraordinary  was  it 
that  Thomas  a  Becket  should  have  taken  this  step 
in  1174,  after  the  disastrous  fire  which  destroyed  the 
earlier  church  on  the  site  of  the  present  Cathedral  of 
Canterbury.  William  succeeded  in  completing  the 
choir  as  it  stands  to-day,  but  it  cost  him  his  life,  for 
as  he  was  superintending  the  finishing  touches  of  his 
great  work,  he  fell  from  a  high  scaffold  and  received 
injuries  from  which  he  died.  Through  this  intro- 
duction of  the  young  French  Gothic  into  England 
he  exercised  a  noteworthy  influence  upon  the  begin- 
nings of  ecclesiastical  Gothic  in  that  country.  We 
have  told  this  story  here  because  we  know  the  archi- 
tect and  the  glazier  worked  hand  in  hand.  This  as- 
sociation grows  more  interdependent  as  the  Gothic 
blossoms  into  decoration  and  as  more  wall  space  is 
devoted  to  windows.  It  is  fair  to  assume  that  the 
stained  glass  style  then  prevailing  in  France  must 
have  accompanied  its  sister,  Gothic  architecture,  upon 
the  latter's  invasion  of  England,  and  an  examination 
of  the  early  medallions  at  Canterbury  tends  to  con- 
firm this  theory.  Since  a  Becket  was  having  the  new 
Gothic  of  Sens  copied,  why  not  also  its  admirable 
glazing?  In  any  event  we  know  that  French  glass 
was  well  known  and  much  admired  by  the  English, 
and  later  we  shall  recount  several  instances  of  its 
being  brought  to  glaze  English  churches,  and  even 

79 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  PRANCE 

requirements  made  in  English  contracts  that  French 
and  not  domestic  glass  should  be  provided.  While 
it  is  true  that  the  early  glass  of  Sens  Cathedral  is 
not  so  abundant  as  that  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
we  have  come  here  at  this  time  because  nothing  finer 
is  known  than  the  few  medallion  windows  which  re- 
main to  us  along  the  north  wall  of  the  choir. 
They  date  from  the  end  of  the  twelfth  century  and 
are  large,  strong  in  tone,  and  in  excellent  preserva- 
tion. The  clerestory  lights  of  the  choir  are  filled 
with  attractive  examples  of  grisaille  enlivened  by 
large  geometric  figures  in  points  of  red,  blue,  etc. 
These  designs  are  constructed  with  slender  lines  and 
without  too  much  colour,  so  that  plenty  of  soft  silvery 
light  is  admitted  to  illuminate  the  choir  below.  So 
well  lighted  is  it  from  the  clerestory  above  that  we 
are  forced  to  conclude  that  all  the  chapel  embrasures 
below  must  at  one  time  have  been  filled  with  the 
gloom-producing  medallions.  It  is  unfortunate  that 
the  original  set  of  medallions  below  is  not  complete, 
because  if  it  were,  we  would  now  be  able  to  see, 
thanks  to  the  charming  grisaille  in  the  clerestory,  a 
perfect  combination  of  the  well-lighted  choir  sur- 
rounded by  the  sombre  gleam  of  its  protecting 
chapels.  Such  a  combination  is  rare.  At  Tours,  at 
Troyes,  even  at  Eourges,  we  find  ourselves  wishing 
that  we  had  a  little  more  light  from  above  to  set  off 
by  contrast  the  dark  splendour  of  the  jewelled  cav- 
erns below.    The  clerestory  at  Sens  shows  us  just  the 

80 


THIKTEENTH  CE:^TUKY 

luminous  effect  which  we  have  sought  elsewhere,  but, 
alas !  our  coloured  dusk  below,  which  should  go  hand 
in  hand  with  it,  has  been  almost  entirely  dissipated. 
As  a  result  we  are  left  with  an  impression  of  too 
bright  an  interior.  The  minster  gloom  with  all  its 
dignity  is  gone !  We  shall  return  later  to  Sens  to  see 
its  splendid  glass  of  the  sixteenth  century  (see 
page  218). 


81 


TROYES 

Of  all  the  French  schools  of  glass  which  at  one 
time  or  another  gained  renown,  none  ever  surpassed 
that  of  Champagne.  Not  only  do  we  know  this  from 
the  pages  of  history,  but  it  is  easily  proved  by  the  in- 
numerable examples  found  in  the  many  churches  of 
Troyes,  the  ancient  capital  of  that  province.  The 
fame  of  the  glass  artists  of  Champagne  not  only  be- 
gan early  but  lasted  long.  In  fact,  in  its  capital,  the 
perfected  methods  of  the  sixteenth  century  became 
so  iirmly  established  that  their  style  and  vigour  lasted 
far  over  into  the  seventeenth  century,  which  was  not 
generally  true  elsewhere.  Troyes  has  always  enjoyed 
prominence  and  that, too, along  different  lines;  "Troy 
weight"  testifies  to  the  wide  fame  of  its  jewellers.  In 
our  travels  we  shall  observe  that  most  towns  have  but 
one  or  two  churches  whose  windows  repay  a  visit. 
Troyes  and  Rouen  are  the  marked  exceptions  to  this 
rule,  for  in  each  we  shall  find  many  well  worth  exam- 
ining and  a  great  wealth  of  glass.  Then,  too,  both 
these  cities  provide  facilities  for  studying  the  art 
from  the  earliest  to  the  latest  period  of  its  golden  age. 
We  will  postpone  consideration  of  Rouen  until  we 

82 


THIETEE:N"Tn  CENTURY 

take  up  the  sixteenth  century  because  its  thirteenth 
century  glass  is  unimportant.  This  is  not  true  of 
Troyes,  for  if  by  some  sudden  calamity  all  its  splen- 
did Renaissance  windows  were  destroyed,  we  would 
still  most  heartily  recommend  that  our  pilgrim  visit 
the  city  to  see  the  early  glass  in  the  cathedral  and  in 
the  fairy-like  church  of  St.  Urbain.  These  two  build- 
ings alone  provide  the  best  of  reasons  for  including 
Troyes  in  this  tour.  The  story  of  the  foundation  of 
that  architectural  eggshell,  St.  Urbain,  is  very  inter- 
esting. In  1261  there  became  Pope  a  certain  Jacques 
Pantaleon,  a  native  of  Troyes.  After  his  elevation 
to  the  pontificate  he  remembered  his  humble  begin- 
nings, and  so  far  from  being  ashamed  that  his  father 
had  been  a  small  shopkeeper,  he  bought  the  ground 
whereon  his  father's  shop  had  stood,  as  well  as  some 
of  the  neighbouring  buildings,  and  erected,  about 
1268,  one  of  the  most  delightful  and  airy  examples 
of  fragile  grace  in  all  Gothic  architecture.  The 
walls  seem  literally  to  be  constructed  of  glass,  so 
slender  are  the  stone  uprights  between  the  windows, 
and  so  wholly  is  this  little  church  uplifted  and  up- 
held by  the  innumerable  flying  buttresses  that  stretch 
away  from  its  roof  and  delicate  sides  like  the  sup- 
porting guy  ropes  of  a  tent.  At  the  Ste.  Chapelle  in 
Paris  we  noticed  that  although  medallion  panels 
give  a  splendid  dark  warmth,  they  do  not  admit  light 
enough  for  a  small  structure.  Perhaps  in  St.  Urbain 
we  shall  feel  there  is  too  much  light.    The  medallions 

83 


STAII^ED  GLASS  TOURS  m  FEAXCE 

of  the  period  are  there,  but  only  in  small  numbers 
and  imbedded  in  large  fields  of  silvery  grisaille. 
The  lower  half  of  the  clerestory  windows  is  in  gri- 
saille and  it  is  only  in  the  upper  half  that  we  find 
coloured  figures.  While  it  is  true  that  we  lose  the  sil- 
very hue  that  simple  grisaille  generally  yields,  still,  in 
exchange,  we  receive  a  low-toned  glow  that  is  delight- 
ful. The  proportion  of  glass  surface  to  wall  space 
is  here  so  great  that  if  the  grisaille  had  not  been 
warmed  by  touches  of  colour,  there  would  really  have 
been  a  glare,  though  the  embrasures  contain  no  white 
glass.  The  more  we  study  the  subject  the  clearer  it 
becomes  that  the  glazier  thoroughly  understood  and 
appreciated  the  possibilities  of  the  medium  in  which 
he  worked. 

As  we  pass  from  St.  TJrbain  to  the  larger  and  more 
impressive  Cathedral  of  St.  Pierre,  we  shall  notice 
that  although  the  artist  felt  the  necessity  for  the 
lighter  treatment  in  the  dainty  chapel-like  church,  he 
found  it  more  appropriate  in  the  larger  edifice  to  so 
glaze  his  windows  as  to  fill  the  place  with  the  more 
solemn  and  diimified  li2:ht  suited  to  its  greater  size. 
The  choir  of  the  cathedral  provides  an  unusually 
complete  and  satisfying  example  of  this  period,  not 
only  in  its  girdle  of  chapels,  but  also  above  in  the 
gorgeous  row  of  thirteen  clerestory  windows  from 
which  ferocious-looking  figures  stare  down  upon  us 
from  glittering  eyes  leaded  into  Byzantine   faces. 

84 


TIIIKTEENTII  CENTURY 

Splendid  as  they  are,  we  feel  that  a  little  more  light 
should  have  been  admitted,  and  this  thought  must 
also  have  struck  the  glazier,  because  he  resorted  to  a 
trick  in  the  choir  chapels  to  better  illumine  the  east- 
ern part  of  the  structure.  If  you  will  step  into  one 
of  these  chapels  you  will  find  that  in  most  of  them 
he  has  substituted  grisaille  for  the  medallions  in  the 
lancet  on  either  hand  nearest  the  choir.  When  you 
stood  in  the  choir  ambulatory,  this  device  escaped 
you  because  the  arch  Avhich  provides  the  entrance  to 
the  chapel  conceals  these  two  nearest  lancets.  The 
result  of  the  trick  is  that  two  side-lights,  properly 
softened  by  the  grisaille,  are  throAvn  into  the  chapel. 
If  white  panes  had  been  used,  they  would  have  il- 
luminated the  inner  side  of  the  medallion  panels, 
thus  revealing  their  ugly  machinery  of  leads,  and, 
worse  still,  effectually  destroying  their  power  to 
transmit  a  combination  of  colour  and  glow.  Ample 
illumination  has  been  furnished  this  cathedral  by 
its  pierced  triforium  and  the  great  expanse  of  its 
clerestory,  but,  thanks  to  the  remarkably  warm  tone 
of  the  glass,  we  do  not  find  it  anywhere  overlighted. 
Even  the  later  glass  which  adorns  the  nave  and  tran- 
septs and  which  we  w^ill  discuss  farther  on,  is  so 
unusually  strong  in  colour  that  we  avoid  that  sharp- 
ness of  contrast  between  thirteenth  and  fifteenth  cen- 
tury work  to  be  seen  at  Bourges.  Decidedly,  St. 
Pierre   is   one   of   the   most   beautiful   interiors   in 

85 


STAINED  GLASS  TOUKS  IIST  FKANCE 

France  for  the  glass  lover,  and  he  should  not  fail  to 
see  what  the  best  examples  of  the  Champagne  school 
has  done  for  this  church,  the  charm  of  which  lays 
hold  upon  him  directly  he  enters  it  (see  page  222). 


86 


CHALONS-SUE-MAR:NrE 

Certain  travellers  and  most  tourists  think  they 
can,  from  studying  maps  and  reading  books,  obtain 
a  very  fair  impression  of  a  town  before  they  visit  it, 
and  that  the  chief  result  of  their  visit  v^ill  be  to  fill 
in  sundry  local  details.  If  people  of  that  ilk  desire 
to  remain  high  in  their  own  estimation,  they  had 
best  omit  Chalons  from  their  travels.  Let  us  assume 
that  one  of  these  aforesaid  folk  plans  a  visit  to 
Chalons.  He  will  probably  begin  by  studying  the 
map,  which  shows  a  city  seemingly  drawn  out  along 
both  sides  of  a  long,  straight  street.  His  practised 
mind  will  conclude  this  the  proper  method  to  enter 
the  town  and  that  he  can  easily  find  his  way 
about.  Step  number  two  will  be  the  consultation 
of  histories.  Here  he  will  fall  upon  the  account  of 
the  great  Battle  of  Chalons,  in  which  Attila,  the 
^'Scourge  of  God,"  met  in  451  his  final  check,  the 
combined  army  of  Romans,  Franks  and  Visigoths 
there  putting  a  bloody  end  to  his  dream  of  an  anti- 
Christian  empire  erected  upon  the  crumbling  re- 
mains of  "the  power  that  once  was  Rome^s."  Anyone 
who  has  noticed  how  surprisingly  few  decisive  vic- 

87 


STAIJ^ED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

tories  have  been  followed  by  widespread  or  lasting 
results  must  have  remarked  that  the  Battle  of 
Chalons  stands  out  prominently  as  an  exception 
to  this  rule.  So  much  for  what  the  maps  and 
the  histories  have  disclosed  to  our  experienced 
tourist.  He  is  doomed  to  a  bitter  disappointment. 
To-day  in  this  quiet  little  city  of  yellowish- 
grey  houses  he  will  find  nothing  reminiscent  of 
that  old-time  victory.  Not  only  will  his  dip 
into  history  thus  prove  to  have  been  in  vain,  but 
what  is  more,  the  street  plan  has  given  him  a  very 
wrong  idea  of  a  really  very  pretty  place.  The  writer 
himself  well  remembers  how  the  map  misled  him. 
He  remarked  thereon  the  long  straight  street;  there- 
fore, on  emerging  from  the  railway  station,  he  pro- 
ceeded up  this  tiresome  thoroughfare,  which  he  found 
equipped  with  the  usual  provincial  tram-line,  both 
trying  to  tie  the  older  part  of  the  town  to  the  dis- 
tant railway  station  that  bears  its  name.  As  a  dis- 
appointment this  first  impression  of  Chalons  was  a 
pronounced  success!  Don't  fall  into  the  same  error. 
This  was  the  wrong  way  to  enter  the  town,  but  there 
is  also  a  right  way,  especially  for  one  who  believes 
in  first  impressions. 

If  you  want  to  be  in  a  mood  to  enjoy  the  glass, 
branch  off  to  the  right  when  you  reach  the  canal 
(which  is  not  far  from  the  station),  and  you  will 
come  into  a  park  called  the  Jard,  one  of  the  prettiest 
combinations  of  green  trees  and  water  to  be  found 

88 


THIRTEENTH  CENTURY 

in  any  provincial  French  city.  On  a  later  visit  the 
writer  stumbled  upon  this  park,  with  the  result  that 
instead  of  a  mental  picture  of  an  ugly  town  built 
on  both  sides  of  an  ugly  street,  he  carried  away 
pleasantly  revised  memories  not  only  of  the  charming 
Jard,  but  also  of  several  little  water-courses  meander- 
ing through  the  town,  affording  lovely  vistas  every 
now  and  again  in  most  unexpected  ways.  It  seems 
certain  that  these  streams  feel  equally  bitterly  about 
the  ugly  street,  because  as  soon  as  they  come  near 
it,  they  promptly  hide  their  heads  and  pass  under  it, 
carefully  keeping  out  of  sight  in  small  tunnels. 
Wait  until  you  see  the  street,  and  you  won't  blame 
the  streams.  Now  that  you  have  by  means  of  the 
woody  refreshment  of  the  green  Jard  purified  your 
perceptions  from  the  taint  cf  railway  dirt,  let  U3 
enter  the  cathedral.  We  shall  find  the  glass  more  in- 
teresting and  instructive  than  impressive,  but  to  this 
general  observation  we  must  make  an  exception  on 
behalf  of  the  thirteenth  century  windows  in  the  clere- 
story behind  and  above  the  altar;  they  undeniably 
leave  little  to  be  desired.  The  blue  of  their  back- 
grounds combines  excellently  with  the  tones  of  the 
figures.  In  one  of  the  panels  which  shows  the  Cruci- 
fixion, we  can  readily  discern  that  the  bars  support- 
ing it  at  the  back  (called  saddle  bars)  have  been 
moved  to  one  side  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  the  two 
figures  on  either  side  of  the  cross.  This  displace- 
ment of  the  saddle  bars  to  leave  undisturbed  the 

89 


STxilNED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

drawing  of  an  important  personage  was  quite  usual 
at  that  time.  Later  on  the  glazier  seemed  to  have 
no  objection  to  the  intrusion  of  the  iron  bars,  just 
as  he  grew  to  disregard  the  running  of  his  leads 
across  faces,  arms.  etc.  This  church  also  boasts  of  a 
fine  rose  window  in  the  north  transept,  which  is 
rendered  even  more  effective  by  the  gallery  of  lancets 
beneath  it.  The  especial  interest  of  the  cathedral 
to  a  student  of  glass  is  undoubtedly  its  grisaille  win- 
dows, some  plain  and  some  banded  across  by  highly- 
coloured  panels  of  the  medallion  type.  This  latter 
arrangement  we  find  along  the  north  wall  of  the  nave, 
while  those  containing  grisaille  alone  are  in  the  tri- 
forium  and  clerestory.  In  the  case  of  the  banded 
ones  we  shall  notice  that  it  is  only  the  middle  third 
of  each  which  has  the  highly-coloured  panels,  all  the 
rest  being  grisaille,  doubtless  for  ^he  purpose  of 
giving  plenty  of  light  to  the  nave.  Although  a  most 
interesting  arrangement,  the  effect  is  not  that  of 
great  beauty.  Some  of  the  narrow  triforium  panels 
have  a  border  of  plain  grisaille  surrounding  the  cen- 
tral panel  of  colour  work  in  which  there  are  no  fig- 
ures; this  is  quite  unusual.  A  study  of  the  use  of 
colour  with  grisaille  in  that  century  is  not  complete 
without  a  visit  to  Chalons,  but  this  having  been  said 
we  must  admit  that  notwithstanding  the  splendid 
panels  in  the  choir  clerestory  and  the  fine  rose  win- 
dow in  the  north  transept,  there  are  several  more  in- 
spiring places  for  one  wishing  to  learn  how  greatly 

90 


THIRTEENTH  CEIsTTUEY 

thirteenth  century  glass  can  beautify  a  religious  in- 
terior. Some  of  the  finest  and  most  valuable  twelfth 
and  thirteenth  century  panels  have  been  removed 
from  the  cathedral,  and  are  now  the  property  of  the 
Musee  des  Arts  Decoratifs,  in  Paris.  Unfortunately 
they  are  not  always  on  exhibition.  On  the  south  side 
of  the  nave  is  a  fine  series  of  Renaissance  windows, 
but  these,  together  with  the  grey  and  gold  figure 
panels  of  St.  Alpin,  and  the  excellent  coloured  ones 
of  the  fine  church  of  N'otre  Dame,  will  be  discussed 
in  our  sixteenth  century  pilgrimages  (see  page  233). 


91 


RHEIMS 

KoYAL  Rheims!  In  this  title,  "apt  alliteration's 
artful  aid"  not  only  appeals  to  our  ear  but  is  also 
fully  justified  by  history.  In  its  splendid  cathedral 
were  crowned  almost  all  the  kings  of  France,  the 
sacred  oil  used  in  the  ceremony  having  been,  saith  the 
old  legend,  brought  from  heaven  by  a  dove  for  the 
baptism  in  496  of  Clovis,  King  of  the  Franks,  and 
thereafter  preserved  in  a  sacred  vessel  locked  away 
in  the  tomb  of  St.  Remi.  Because  of  this  having 
been  for  so  many  years,  nay  centuries,  the  place  of 
royal  consecration,  what  more  appropriate  decora- 
tion could  have  been  devised  for  the  great  clerestory 
embrasures  than  the  series  of  the  first  thirty-six  kings 
of  France,  each  window  containing  in  its  lower  half 
the  archbishop  that  consecrated  the  king  above  him! 
All  these  seventy-two  figures  are  seated,  because  con- 
vention demanded  this  if  the  personage  represented 
was  dead.  Do-vvn  upon  us  from  their  lofty  station 
about  the  nave  clerestory  gleam  these  long  rows 
of  the  royalties  and  ecclesiastical  dignitaries  of 
France,  a  marvellous  exemplification  of  what 
colour  in  glass  can  accomplish.     An  echoing  gleam 

92 


THIRTEENTH  CENTURY 

comes  to  us  from  the  clerestory  of  the  choir; 
but  there  the  figures  are  those  of  great  bishops,  not 
only  of  Rheims,  but  also  of  other  cities  in  its  diocese, 
like  Laon,  Soissons,  etc.  At  first  thought  it  may 
seem  bad  English  to  speak  of  a  gleam  of  light  as  an 
echo  of  another  gleam,  but  before  you  criticise  the 
expression,  stand  patiently  for  awhile  in  this  great 
house  of  God,  looking  up  at  these  splendid  windows ; 
perhaps  there  will  at  last  come  over  you  a  feeling  that 
in  all  this  noble  harmony  of  colour,  this  blending  of 
soft  tones,  there  is — there  must  be — some  dim  har- 
mony of  music.  One  never  receives  this  peculiar  im- 
pression  except  from  glass  of  the  thirteenth  century ; 
later  glass  lacks  the  depth  and  vibration  of  tone,  even 
though  it  gains  added  brilliancy.  Especially  splendid 
is  the  effect  of  the  kings  dominating  the  nave  below. 
Those  near  the  transepts  have  a  deep  blue  back- 
ground, whilst  a  few  close  to  the  west  end  have  behind 
and  around  them,  a  soft,  rich  red.  There  is  no  other 
place  where  such  sombre  depth  of  hue  can  be  seen 
in  a  clerestory  glazed  during  the  thirteenth  century. 
At  Bourges  they  are  magnificent,  but  their  beauty 
is  of  a  different  and  brighter  sort.  Here  at  Rheims, 
although  raised  high  in  the  air,  they  yield  the  same 
dusky  glow  that  elsewhere  we  usually  find  in  the 
medallion  panels  of  the  choir  chapels  below.  So 
wonderful  are  the  windows  above  you  that  there  is 
a  fair  chance  that  you  would  have  left  the  cathedral 
without  noticing  that  below^  there  are  no  medallion 

93 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

windows  at  all ;  in  fact,  that  practically  none  of  its 
lower  panes  are  glazed  in  colour.  This  is  owing  to 
the  almost  incredible  folly  of  the  monks  of  Rheims 
who,  in  the  years  1739-68,  removed  the  coloured 
glass  from  the  lower  embrasures  to  admit  more  light. 
During  the  two  years  following  October,  1755,  they 
committed  the  same  act  of  vandalism  in  the  church 
of  St.  Remi.  The  cathedral  has  three  fine  rose  win- 
dows, of  which  the  western  one  with  its  bright-hued 
gallery  of  kings  below  it  is  far  the  best.  The  north 
rose  window  is  good,  although  we  miss  the  qualities 
which  the  north  rose  of  Notre  Dame  at  Paris  has 
taught  us  to  expect.  The  south  rose  contains  glass 
of  the  sixteenth  century  and  therefore  seems  pale  and 
out  of  place  amidst  the  older  glories.  The  west  ro- 
sace should  be  seen  toward  sunset  so  as  to  get  the 
rays  of  the  sun  passing  directly  through  it.  Earlier 
in  the  day  it  is  almost  gloomy  in  tone.  There  has 
been  much  discussion  as  to  the  interpretation  of  the 
figures  in  the  gallery  of  kings  below,  but  now  it 
seems  settled  that  it  represents  the  coronation  of 
the  converted  pagan  Clovis,  King  of  the  Franks. 
The  windows  of  the  transepts  are  glazed  with 
gi'isaille  of  a  very  greenish  tone  and  somewhat 
darker  than  that  generally  found  at  this  time.  Among 
them  we  observe  one  of  the  series  of  bishops  which 
has  apparently  crept  away  from  its  fellows  in  the 
choir  and  come  around  the  corner  into  the  south  tran- 
sept.    Although  the  bishop  series  lacks,  to  some  ex- 

94 


thirtee:n'th  ceinttury 

tent,  the  crude,  almost  savage  glory  of  the  nave's 
stern  array  of  kings,  they  are  more  carefully  made. 
As  in  the  king  windows,  here  also  we  find  an  upper 
and  a  lower  row  of  personages,  but  in  addition,  a 
feature  very  much  out  of  the  ordinary  and  which 
should  be  remarked.  Instead  of  placing  two  bishops 
below  to  balance  the  two  above,  there  is  but  one  bishop 
below  in  each  window,  while  the  space  adjoining  him 
is  occupied  by  a  fanciful  representation  of  his  cathe- 
dral. There  is  no  attempt  to  accurately  portray  the 
building,  although  the  glass  artist  might  as  well  have 
done  so,  for  he  has  gone  to  the  pains  of  making  no  two 
of  these  little  cathedral  pictures  alike.  So  minutely 
has  he  gone  into  detail  that  each  has  a  tiny  rose  win- 
dow and  each  rose  is  markedly  diiferent  from  the 
others.  The  idea  is  a  quaint  one  and  shows  the  artist 
to  have  been  fertile  in  ideas.  So  dark  are  the  faces 
of  the  bishops  as  to  make  them  look  in  one  or  two 
cases  as  though  they  were  wearing  masks.  This  ef- 
fect is  heightenbd  by  the  fact  that  the  eyes  are  glazed 
in  lighter  hues. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this  gorgeous  and  sparkling 
colour,  what  a  splendid  picture  may  we  not  conjure 
up  of  the  scene  on  the  17th  day  of  July,  1429,  when 
Charles  VII,  led  in  by  Joan  of  Arc,  had  here  the 
kingly  crowna  placed  upon  his  brow.  With  what  vast 
satisfaction  must  the  grand  old  kings  have  gleamed 
and  glowed  in  sombre  delight  that  their  glorious 
cathedral  was  once  more  French,  once  more  fulfilling 

95 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IX  FRAIs^CE 

its  centuries-old  duty  of  consecrating  a  French  king, 
and  especially  that  all  this  had  been  effected  by  a 
staunch  French  maid,  than  whom  patriotism  has 
never  had  a  more  worthy  exemplar.  It  was  but  com- 
mon justice  that  during  the  act  of  coronation  of  the 
king  to  whom  she  had  restored  not  only  a  throne,  but 
also  a  united  people,  she  stood  at  the  foot  of  the 
altar  holding  aloft  her  victorious  standard.  A 
chronicler  of  the  time  truly  said  that  having  shared 
in  all  the  hardships  she  richly  deserved  to  share  in 
the  honours. 

'Not  only  in  the  cathedral  do  we  glass  hunters  find 
justification  for  the  title  "Royal  Rheims."  Once 
more  we  shall  see  a  row  of  French  kings,  this  time 
in  the  small  nave  clerestory  lights  of  the  old  church 
of  St.  Remi.  In  manner  similar  to  that  employed 
at  the  cathedral  we  also  find  bishops  adorning  the 
choir  clerestory.  Fine  as  these  two  series  are,  and 
valuable,  too  (because  they  are  earlier),  we  must 
confess  that  they  do  not  produce  the  effect  which  the 
wonderful  depth  of  colour  gave  us  at  the  cathedral. 
The  choir  clerestory  embrasures  are  really  too  small 
to  afford  room  for  the  two  rows  of  bishops  one  above 
the  other.  The  choir  chapel  windows  are  partly 
modern,  and  partly  old  with  too  much  restora- 
tion, so  that  the  effect  is  not  coherent.  We  must, 
however,  remark  a  fine  Crucifixion  in  the  middle  of 
the  east  end.  It  is  undoubtedly  twelfth  century  and, 
although    technically    well    worthy    of    observation, 


THIRTEENTH  CENTURY 

lacks  the  beauty  which  we  have  a  right  to  expect  from 
that  period.  The  glass  in  the  large,  round  Roman- 
esque embrasures  at  the  west  end,  although  copied  on 
old  models,  is  modern  and  very  thin  in  colour.  A 
careful  look  at  the  nave  clerestory  will  reveal  that 
in  order  to  complete  the  set  of  seated  kings  a  novel 
method  was  adopted.  Many  of  the  original  panels 
were  divided  in  two  at  the  middle,  the  upper  half 
being  used  in  one  embrasure  and  the  lower  half  in 
another,  the  missing  half  in  each  case  being  sup- 
plied by  modern  glass  made  to  imitate  the  old.  This 
reads  as  though  the  effect  would  be  bad,  but  on  the 
contrary  it  is  fairly  good  and,  at  all  events,  the  de- 
signs are  in  accordance  with  the  original  drawings. 
Besides  its  glass,  Rheims  has  another  great  at- 
traction for  the  traveller  in  its  wealth  of  tapestry.  A 
magnificent  series  of  ten  presented  in  1530  by  Robert 
de  Lenoncourt  hangs  in  the  transepts  of  St.  Remi, 
whilst  in  the  cathedral  we  shall  find  around  the  nave 
walls  another  series  of  fourteen  given  in  the  same 
year  by  the  same  donor.  The  cathedral  is  also 
adorned  with  other  tapestries  which,  although  per- 
haps not  of  such  engrossing  interest  as  the  Lenoncourt 
series,  are  nevertheless  treasures.  As  glass  viewers 
it  is  well  to  observe  that  the  rich  decoration  provided 
by  these  splendid  hangings  prevents  us  from  notic- 
ing the  otherwise  obnoxious  glare  from  the  uncol- 
oured  windows  just  over  them.  We  mention  this 
here  because  as  between  two  interesting  glass  towns 

97 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

some  of  our  readers  might  incline  to  one  where 
tapestries  can  be  seen  in  addition  to  the  glass.  The 
Cathedral  of  Angers  provides  also  the  same  double 
inducement. 


98 


soisso:^s 

During  the  two  tours  just  concluded  we  have 
visited  all  the  most  important  treasure-houses  of 
thirteenth  century  glass. 

There  is,  however,  a  very  agreeable  secondary  tour. 
Eegarded  as  a  glass  pilgrimage,  it  is  not  to  be  com- 
pared with  the  two  which  we  have  finished,  but  this 
must  not  be  taken  to  mean  that  the  glass  mil  not 
be  worth  inspection.  Besides,  most  of  the  windows 
to  be  seen  are  of  the  period,  thus  making  it  an  essen- 
tially thirteenth  century  pilgrimage.  To  one  in  whom 
the  love  of  glass  and  devotion  to  the  gentle  sport  of 
automobiling  is  about  equal,  this  trip  will  be  much 
more  attractive  than  the  last  two.  The  scenery 
through  which  he  will  pass  and  the  history  that  will 
be  recalled  will  add  very  much  to  the  charm  of  this 
itinerary  and  it  is  therefore  particularly  recom- 
mended to  the  automobilist  and  especially  to  the 
exercise-loving  bicyclist.  The  distances  between  the 
towns  are  not  great  and  the  landscape  is  varied  and 
delightful.  Beginning  with  Soissons,  our  road  lies 
through  the  picturesque  mediaeval  stronghold  of 
Coucy-le-Chateau   to   the   high-perched   hill   city  of 

99 


STAi:^rED  GLASS  TOUKS  IX  FRAlSrCE 

Laon,  then  over  the  plain  at  its  foot  to  battleworn 
St.  Quentin,  and  lastly  across  the  rolling  country  to 
the  splendid  Cathedral  of  Amiens.  Amiens  is  on 
the  line  of  the  Paris-London  expresses,  so  we  have 
excellent  train  service  back  to  Paris. 

We  will  let  the  traveller  find  his  way  as  best  he 
may  from  Paris  to  Soissons  and  will  join  him  there. 
He  will  soon  observe  that  there  has  departed  from 
Soissons  the  ancient  glory  which  was  hers  when 
nnder  Clovis,  the  great  king  of  the  Franks,  she  be- 
came the  capital  of  his  strong  province  of  Neustria. 
To-day  we  find  a  quiet  provincial  city  of  only  about 
13,000  inhabitants,  where  the  chief  movement  and 
life  seems  to  centre  in  the  barracks.  One  notice- 
able feature  of  the  town  is  the  really  fine  west 
front,  all  that  remains  of  the  Abbey  of  St.  Jean- 
des-Vignes,  for  nine  years  the  home  of  the  exiled 
Thomas  a  Becket.  Even  from  its  present  denuded 
state  of  desolate  loneliness  one  realises  how  splendid 
the  complete  building  must  have  been,  and  the  now 
empty  and  staring  rose  window  above  the  central 
portal  makes  us  sigh  for  the  stained  glass  that  must 
once  have  adorned  that  huge  opening. 

Soissons  is  one  of  the  towns  which  benefited  by 
the  great  love  felt  by  St.  Louis  and  his  mother, 
Blanche  of  Castile,  for  stained  glass.  The  northern 
rose  of  the  cathedral  is  a  proof  of  their  beneficence, 
and  is  an  excellent  example  of  its  type.  The  central 
pane  is  occupied  by  a  figure  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  and 

100 


THIKTEENTH  CENTURY 

circling  round  her  are  the  medallion  panels  which  are 
so  much  more  satisfactory  than  the  spokes-of-a-wheel 
treatment  so  popular  in  the  next  century.  Around 
the  outside  of  the  medallions  is  a  double  border  of 
panels  containing  the  arms  of  the  royal  benefactress, 
a  field  of  red  bearing  the  golden  castles  of  Castile. 
As  for  the  rest  of  the  interior,  so  much  of  its  original 
glazing  has  been  destroyed  that  the  effect  of  glow  is 
entirely  dissipated.  The  nave  has  lost  its  coloured 
panels,  and  only  fragments  remain  in  the  western  rose. 
The  large  lancets  about  the  east  end  of  the  choir 
clerestory  are  most  decorative,  and  further,  they  pro- 
vide an  opportunity  of  testing  our  ability  to  judge 
glass.  At  first  sight  we  are  convinced  that  they  are  of 
true  thirteenth  century  mosaic  Avork,  and  might  con- 
tinue to  think  so,  if  they  were  not  betrayed  by  the 
comparison  afforded  by  the  two  genuine  medallion 
lancets  just  below  them  in  the  Lady  Chapel.  Even 
then  we  may  remain  undecided,  which  indecision  is 
justified  when  we  learn  their  history.  They  were  re- 
paired and  restored  in  1816,  much  of  the  old  glass 
being  retained  and  the  old  designs  carefully  followed. 
This  explains  not  only  why  they  lack  the  depth  of 
tone  seen  in  the  complete  medallions  below  them,  but 
also  why  they  were  so  deceptive  until  this  touch- 
stone of  comparison  was  applied.  Notice  the  Adam 
and  Eve  window  to  the  right,  as  the  design  is  very 
unusual.  In  the  six  scenes  there  depicted,  one  above 
the  other^  Adam  and  Eve  are  of  course  nude,  and 
•  101 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

appear  always  she  on  the  left  side  and  he  on  the  right 
of  each  little  scene,  with  some  other  personage  or 
object  between  them  in  the  middle.  As  a  result  we 
have  a  perpendicular  column  of  Eves  on  one  side  and 
of  Adams  on  the  other,  the  light  glass  used  to  make 
the  flesh  colour  forming  a  secondary  border  for  the 
window.  The  southern  transept  is  an  architectural 
freak,  because  instead  of  a  rose  window  it  has  a 
rounded  end  like  the  apse  chapel  generally  found  at 
the  eastern  extremity  of  a  church.  As  a  novelty  it 
is  agreeable,  but  it  deprives  the  glazier  of  one  of  his 
rose  windows. 


102 


LAON" 

Those  proceeding  upon  this  pilgrimage  by  auto- 
mobile or  bicycle,  will  find  a  treat  awaiting  them  be- 
tween Soissons  and  Laon.  The  road  lies  through 
Coucy-le-Chateau,  the  impressive  and  well-preserved 
ruin  of  a  massive  mediaeval  fortress.  The  huge 
round  towers  at  its  corners,  connected  by  walls  thirty- 
five  feet  thick,  frown  down  from  their  rocky  perch 
upon  a  pleasant  valley  below.  Snuggled  up  against 
these  protecting  walls  is  the  little  town,  which  we 
enter  by  a  narrow  gateway  crowded  in  between  two 
great  solemn  towers.  On  we  go  through  the  narrow 
old  streets  and  out  another  well-defended  portal  and 
off  on  our  journey.  When  first  we  espy  Laon  we  are 
far  off  on  the  rolling  plain  which  surrounds  its  base. 
It  looms  high  in  the  air,  the  four  towers  of  its  cathe- 
dral peering  out  above  the  encircling  houses,  all 
seeming  to  keep  watch  over  the  tiring  zigzags  by 
means  of  which  the  road  lazily  climbs  the  height.  A 
city  built  upon  a  hill  always  possesses  a  fascination, 
more  especially  when  it  has  a  history  as  long  and  in- 
teresting as  this  one.  The  lofty  situation  makes  the 
town  seem  to  hold  itself  aloof  and  lends  it  a  certain 

103 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  m  FRANCE 

proud  mystery  which  impels  us  to  seek  to  know  more 
of  it — to  penetrate  its  reserve.  Laon  is  even  more 
picturesque  and  striking  than  most  French  hill  towns, 
because  the  height  upon  which  it  stands  rises  abruptly 
from  a  great  plain.  None  of  the  height  is  lost  and 
thus  all  the  beauty  is  saved.  After  observing  how 
remote  it  is  upon  its  long,  narrow  hilltop,  one  can 
well  understand  why  the  later  Carlovingian  kings 
selected  this  stronghold  for  their  capital.  In  those 
early  times  there  was  no  artillery  to  endanger  their 
loftily  secure  repose.  The  cathedral,  which  is  a  really 
fine  one,  presents  us  with  some  of  those  familiarly 
quaint  touches  that  prove  Gothic  architecture  to  have 
been  so  close  to  the  heart  of  its  times.  Perched  aloft 
among  the  open  spaces  that  interpenetrate  its  light 
towers,  are  life-size  statues  of  oxen,  in  kindly  mem- 
ory of  the  beasts  of  burden  that  hauled  up  from  the 
plain  below  the  great  stones  used  in  the  building. 
Within  the  cathedral,  although  there  is  but  little 
glass,  it  is  all  of  this  period  and,  besides,  is  so  grouped 
as  to  do  itself  the  greatest  credit  possible.  All  we 
shall  find  is  a  rose  filled  with  medallions  in  the  north 
transept  and  another  and  far  finer  one  in  the  square 
eastern  end,  below  which  are  ranged  three  gorgeous 
lancets  of  imposing  dimensions.  The  northern  rose 
contains  scenes  representing  the  sciences  as  under- 
stood and  practised  in  the  thirteenth  century.  One's 
memory  of  this  rose  is  blue  with  hints  of  green,  while 
of  the  eastern  series  it  is  reddish  purple.    The  centre 

104 


3TH  CENTURY   ROSE   AND  LANCETS,   LAON, 


Medallio7i&  are  admirably  suited  to  rounded  apertures  in  Rose,  and  assist 
in  producing  effect  of  huge  blossom;  later  the  lines  radiated  more  from  the 
centre  and  tended  toward  a  wheel  effect. 


THIRTEENTH  CENTURY 

of  the  splendid  eastern  rose  is  occupied  by  a  figure  of 
the  Virgin  Mary  between  John  the  Baptist  and 
Isaiah,  and  around  this  group  are  two  circles  of 
medallions,  the  inner  one  of  twelve  containing  the 
Apostles,  and  the  outer,  of  twenty-four,  the  Elders 
of  the  Apocalypse.  This  concentration  of  all  the  old 
glass  in  these  two  quarters  has  the  satisfactory  result 
that  anyone  standing  at  the  crossing  and  looking 
either  into  the  north  transept  or  into  the  choir,  sees 
nothing  but  the  splendid  richness  of  mosaic  medal- 
lions, and  is  not  distracted  by  the  sight  of  any  other 
style  of  glazing.  The  placing  of  this  fine  glass  more 
than  compensates  for  its  limited  amount.  After  this 
sweeping  praise,  we  may  indulge  ourselves  in  one 
mild  criticism:  the  glass  in  the  east  end  would  seem 
richer  still  if  it  were  not  so  much  illuminated  from 
within  by  the  white  glazed  windows  along  the  sides 
of  the  choir.  If  this  were  toned  down,  even  by  mod- 
ern glass,  it  would  cause  a  decided  improvement.  At 
St.  Quentin,  we  are  more  than  reconciled  to  the  pres- 
ence of  modern  glass  in  the  chapels  around  the  choir, 
because  it  so  modifies  the  light  as  to  permit  the 
thirteenth  century  panels  in  the  choir  clerestory  to 
sparkle  and  gleam  as  they  should.  The  north  rose 
at  Laon  is  of  rare  construction ;  the  stone  framework 
is  so  cumbersome,  and  the  amount  of  glazed  surface 
80  modest,  as  to  almost  destroy  the  appearance  of  a 
rosace,  and  to  substitute  therefor  that  of  a  series  of 
holes  let  into  a  wall.     Also  notice  that  the  east  rose 

105 


STAINED  GLASS  TOUES  IN  FRANCE 

is  glazed  flush  with  the  stonework,  thus  presenting  a 
level  surface  on  the  inside,  while  just  below,  in 
marked  contrast,  the  three  lancets  are  deeply  recessed 
within.  This  method  of  constructing  a  rose  is  un- 
usual; another  example  is  the  west  rose  at  Mantes. 
The  square  eastern  end,  instead  of  the  usual  rounded 
apse,  is  believed  to  be  one  of  the  many  results  seen 
throughout  this  diocese  of  the  influence  exerted  by  a 
twelfth  century  English  bishop.  Whatever  the 
reason  for  this  square  apse,  it  admirably  suits  the 
rest  of  the  edifice. 

Before  leaving  this  delightful  hilltop,  we  must  not 
fail  to  take  a  stroll  around  the  boulevards  which  have 
been  constructed  upon  the  overturned  walls.  The 
views  from  this  promenade  out  over  the  great  plain 
below  linger  long  in  one's  memory. 


106 


ST.  QUENXm 

A  FEW  miles  from  Madrid  lies  the  famous  palace 
of  the  Eseorial,  built  upon  a  ground  plan  following 
as  closely  as  possible  the  shape  of  a  gridiron.  It 
was  erected  by  King  Philip  II  in  pious  memory  of 
his  famous  victory  at  St.  Quentin  on  St.  Lawrence's 
Day,  1557.  St.  Lawrence  achieved  martyrdom  by  be- 
ing roasted  alive  on  a  gridiron,  hence  the  selection  of 
that  humble  utensil  as  a  design  for  the  royal  thank- 
offering.  There  are  few  more  interesting  monu- 
ments to  commemorate  a  victory,  and  one  would 
hardly  expect  to  hear  that  a  battle  won  in  northern 
France  is  commemorated  by  a  palace  far  to  the  south 
across  the  Pyrenees.  Many  a  time  in  history  did 
St.  Quentin  make  herself  famous  by  her  stout  de- 
fences, but  none  ever  won  her  so  much  fame  as  this 
defeat  which,  by  delaying  the  Spanish  forces,  enabled 
the  French  armies  to  assemble  behind  her  and  save 
Paris.  It  was  a  great  victory  for  Philip,  but  it  cost 
him  the  possession  of  the  French  capital. 

As  we  stood  upon  the  lofty  heights  at  Laon,  we 
looked  far  out  over  a  wide  plain,  across  which,  forty- 
five  kilometres  to  the  northwest,  lies  St.  Quentin. 

107 


STAINED  GLASS  TOUKS  IX  FKANCE 

The  quiet  streets  of  this  well-to-do  city  afford  little 
to  remind  us  of  the  mediieval  strife  that  so  often 
raged  through  them.  We  hear  no  sounds  that  recall 
to  us  the  angry  noises  of  besiegers  without,  which  so 
often  carried  dismay  to  the  stout  hearts  of  its  burgh- 
ers. Unlike  Laon,  its  situation  and  its  buildings  now 
present  little  to  recall  the  picture  of  the  past.  The 
huge  barn-like  exterior  of  its  great  church  is  quite 
different  from  those  we  have  been  seeing.  Even  its 
triple-tiered  flying  buttresses  have  so  short  a  span  as 
to  entirely  miss  the  decorating  possibilities  which  we 
have  a  right  to  expect.  It  lacks  the  lightness  and 
grace  of  the  true  Gothic ;  in  fact,  to  tell  the  truth,  it 
looms  up  big  and  bulky,  more  like  an  Italian  church 
than  the  beautiful  French  ones.  But  when  we  have 
once  passed  inside,  we  are  provided  with  a  most 
agreeable  surprise,  for  it  is  much  more  attractive 
than  many  whose  external  promise  has  been  greater. 
There  are  two  sets  of  transepts,  one  beyond  the  other, 
which  unusual  feature  not  only  enhances  the  charm 
of  the  interior,  but  also  causes  its  beauty  to  reveal 
itself  in  a  more  leisurely  fashion.  But  to  the  glass ! 
In  the  choir  clerestory  are  seven  double  windows,  of 
which  the  lancets  each  hold  two  great  dignitaries, 
one  above  the  other.  The  small  rosaces  above,  which 
serve  to  tie  together  these  pairs  of  lancets,  are 
very  pleasing,  nor  should  we  fail  to  note  the  hand- 
some wide  borders  of  the  lancets  themselves,  plenti- 
fully besprinkled  with  fleur  de  lis.  We  must  particu- 

108 


THIRTEENTH  CENTURY 

larly  appreciate  the  service  performed  by  the  modem 
glass  around  the  choir  chapels  in  so  subduing  the 
light  as  to  permit  these  splendid  lancets  to  receive  all 
their  illumination  from  without   and    therefore  to 
disclose,  undiminished  in  any  way,  that  warm  glow 
that  makes  them  so  delightful.     The  hideous  poly- 
chrome painting  of  the  interior  also  assists  in  this 
fruitful  modification  of  the  light,  but  this  is  the  only 
possible  apology  for  its  presence!     The  oldest  glass 
here  is  that  which  fills  the  two  side  windows  of  the 
Lady  Chapel.     Each  has  twenty  medallions,  those 
on  the  left  showing  Old  Testament  scenes,  and  those 
on  the  right,  episodes  from  the  life  of  the  Virgin. 
One  of  the  large  transepts  has  a  moderately-sized 
rose  window  which  does  not  as  usual  contain  figures, 
but,  instead,  is  filled  with  designs  in  colour.     The 
absence  of  the  figures  does  not  spoil  the  effect;  in 
fact,  the  story  depicted  in  glass  of  this  period  is 
nothing   like    so    important    as    the    colour    scheme. 
The    details    of     the    legend    are    generally    elabo- 
rately    worked     out,     often     in     quaint     episodes, 
but    upon    this    the    beauty    of    the    window    does 
not  depend.     Indeed,  it  is  not  until  we  are  at  such 
a  distance  that  we  can  no  longer  distinguish  the 
little  figures  that  the  charm  of  the  glass  begins  to 
lay  hold  upon  us.     The  reason  we  do  not  find  more 
thirteenth  century  panels  here  is  because  the  older 
part   of   the   church   was   reconstructed   during  the 
reign  of  Louis  XL    Furthermore,  when  we  consider 

109 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IIST  FRANCE 

the  many  sieges  to  which  the  town  has  been  sub- 
jected, as  well  as  the  great  fire  of  October  14,  1669, 
it  seems  strange  that  even  this  much  of  so  fragile  a 
treasure  has  survived.  In  this  connection  it  is 
interesting  to  learn  that  in  1557,  Philip  II  in- 
structed his  artillery  to  avoid  hitting  the  great 
church.  This  very  appreciation  of  art  and  respect 
for  religion  perhaps  explains  why,  as  soon  as  he  had 
captured  the  city,  he  so  promptly  confiscated  the 
church's  gorgeous  tapestries  to  be  used  later  in  deco- 
rating the  Escorial!  In  1766  an  attempt  was  made 
to  negotiate  for  them  so  that  they  could  be  restored 
to  their  original  home,  but  the  Spaniards  replied 
that  they  could  not  part  with  so  glorious  a 
trophy.  Nor  was  the  ravaging  hand  of  the  warrior 
the  only  hostile  force  to  which  the  unfortunate  edifice 
was  subjected.  January  25,  1572,  during  a  tempest, 
one  of  the  great  choir  windows  was  blown  in,  and  on 
Easter  Day,  1582,  the  same  fate  befell  the  great  win- 
dow of  the  first  northern  transept,  this  time  with 
fatal  results,  for  in  falling  it  killed  four  priests.  The 
old  glass  in  the  nave  clerestory  was  removed  by  the 
monks  in  1747  to  secure  more  light,  which  form  of 
vandalism  was,  unfortunately,  only  too  common.  We 
must  not  leave  without  commenting  upon  what  a 
delightful  monument  of  fifteenth  century  Gothic  is 
afforded  by  the  south  end  of  the  easterly  transepts. 
Below  is  a  chapel  shut  in  by  a  light  stone  screen  of 
admirable  design;  above  it  the  stretch  of  wall  is  re- 

110 


THIKTEEI^TH  CENTUEY 

lieved  with  gracefully  carved  patterns,  while  higher 
still  appear  four  large  lancets  surmounted  by  a 
rosace,  all  excellently  glazed.  The  lancets  have 
richly  coloured  single  figures  below  canopies  of  such 
size  that  their  pinnacles  occupy  more  than  half  the 
height  of  the  embrasures.  The  only  criticism  pos- 
sible of  the  otherwise  satisfactory  adjustment  of  the 
various  portions  of  this  south  wall  is  that  the  rose  is 
too  high  up  and  too  small  to  balance  the  splendid  lan- 
cets below  it.  Of  sixteenth  century  glass  there  are 
two  fine  examples  in  the  north  end  of  this  same  pair 
of  transepts,  but  we  will  postpone  further  reference 
to  them  until  later  on  (see  page  269). 

Before  leaving  the  town,  one  should  visit  the  Salle 
Syndicale  in  the  Hotel  de  Ville  in  order  to  see  the 
fine  Francois  Premier  fireplace,  and  the  double  arched 
ceiling  with  its  quaint  corbels.  The  windows  of  this 
room  formerly  contained  a  long  series  of  sixteenth 
century  scenes  from  the  life  and  labours  of  Hercules, 
but  a  Prussian  shell  destroyed  all  but  five  of  them. 

When  he  leaves  St.  Quentin,  bound  for  Amiens, 
the  traveller  by  railway  is  quite  as  well  off  as  the 
automobilist  or  the  bicyclist.  Up  to  this  stage  of  our 
journey  the  two  latter  have  had  a  decided  advan- 
tage, but  now  the  coimtry  has  less  attractions  to 
offer  and  the  road  is  one  of  those  straight  Routes  Ra- 
tionales whose  only  apology  for  their  monotony  ia 
that  they  save  distance. 


Ill 


AMIENS 

At  Amiens  there  is  not  much  glass,  and  yet  the 
student  will  not  have  wasted  his  time,  for  he  will 
there  see  one  of  the  finest  cathedrals  in  Europe, 
and  will  furthermore  be  able  to  note  what  the 
lack  of  coloured  glass  means,  in  this  way  learning 
to  value  it  even  inore  highly  than  before.  If  a  visit 
to  this  great  church  renders  us  no  other  service  than 
this,  we  shall  all  agree  that  it  is  no  small  one.  We 
shall  never  again  question  that  a  magnificent  ec- 
clesiastical interior  is  not  only  vastly  improved,  but 
actually  needs  its  light  tempered  by  stained  glass. 
Our  pilgrim  has  long  ere  this  learnt  that  he 
cannot  always  rely  on  guide-books  to  tell  him 
whether  or  not  fine  windows  are  to  be  found  in  cer- 
tain towns,  and  therefore  we  may  serve  a  useful 
purpose  and  save  some  reader  a  disappointing  trip 
by  setting  out  the  facts.  The  cathedral  owes 
its  chief  beauty  to  the  extraordinary  detail  and 
amount  of  sculpture  to  be  found  without  and 
within.  So  complete  are  the  scriptural  events 
chronicled  upon  its  west  front  that  Ruskin  has 
given  it  the  title  of  the  "Bible  in  Stone."     Nor 

112 


THIRTEENTH  CEI^TURY 

are  the  carvings  which  are  to  be  found  inside  in 
any  way  inferior  to  those  which  fascinate  us  with- 
out. The  stone  screen  which  runs  around  the  am- 
bulatory would  alone  repay  much  study,  but  the  most 
notable  display  of  the  carver's  art  is  the  little  army 
of  nearly  four  thousand  figures  upon  the  choir  stalls. 
!N'otwithstanding  this  wealth  of  sculpture,  we  are 
struck  by  the  bareness  of  the  lofty  interior.  We  long 
for  a  touch  of  mystery  and  cannot  but  feel  that  in 
the  glare  of  light  streaming  through  the  immensely 
tall  uncoloured  windows  everything  is  too  clearly  re- 
vealed and  there  is  lacking  the  softness  which  would 
add  so  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  carvings.  What  a 
change  there  would  be  for  the  better  if  we  could  wave 
a  wand  and  by  some  fairy  power  will  back  into  the 
windows  their  ancient  glories.  Everything  is  too 
stately  and  cold,  too  sharply  outlined;  in  fact,  far 
too  much  denuded  of  the  mysterious  charm,  the  awe- 
inspiring  gloom  which  lays  hold  upon  us  at  Chartres 
or  Bourges. 

Although  but  little  of  its  glass  has  survived,  it  is 
almost  all  of  the  thirteenth  century,  and  some  is  very 
good.  In  one  of  the  choir  chapels  to  the  left  is  an 
interesting  Tree  of  Jesse  in  the  medallion  style.  The 
left  window  of  the  easternmost  chapel  has  a  charm- 
ing blue  background  and  a  novel  use  of  small  white 
birds  in  its  border.  Above  us  in  the  easternmost  win- 
dow of  the  clerestory  (the  only  one  in  the  clere- 
story that  has  survived  intact)  another  unique  fea- 

113 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  m  FEANCE 

ture  catches  the  eye — its  four  slender  lancets  contain 
some  very  decorative  lettering  introduced  into  the 
design.  This  lettering  is  glazed  in  white  on  a  blue 
background  and  its  legend  when  deciphered  sets  out 
that  those  three  windows  were  given  by  Bernard 
d' Abbeville,  Bishop  of  Amiens,  in  the  year  1269. 
In  contrast  to  these  meagre  remains  of  glass, 
there  are  also  to  be  seen  three  fine  rose  windows 
which  are  completely  glazed.  They  all  have  quaint 
names,  that  in  the  west  facade  being  called  the  "Rose 
of  the  Sea";  that  in  the  north  the  "Rose  of  the 
Winds";  that  in  the  south  the  "Rose  of  Heaven." 
This  poetic  and  quaintly  familiar  method  of  naming 
windows  is  not  unknown  elsewhere;  it  is  also 
found  at  Chartres.  The  huge  western  rose, 
thirty-eight  feet  in  diameter,  although  dating  from 
1241,  has  lost  its  original  glass  and  was  re- 
glazed  in  the  sixteenth  century.  There  are  no  fig- 
ures in  the  north  rose,  but  instead  a  mosaic  of  colour ; 
we  have  noticed  a  similar  arrangement  at  St.  Quentin. 
In  the  south  rose,  red  predominates,  but  with  it  there 
is  also  considerable  green.  If  the  reader  decides  to 
visit  Amiens,  notwithstanding  the  small  amount  of 
glass  to  be  seen  there,  he  will  surely  conclude  that 
the  day  has  not  been  wasted,  for  he  will  not  leave 
that  splendid  interior  without  a  truer  appreciation 
j>i  the  great  service  which  the  glass  artist  rendered 
to  the  architect,  as  well  as  a  sigh  for  the  fragile 
beauty  which  is  no  longer  there. 

114 


FOURTEENTH   AND  FIFTEENTH 
CENTURIES 


FOUKTEEXTH    AND    FIFTEENTH 
CENTURIES 

NowHEKE  in  art  can  there  be  found  so  abrupt  a 
change  of  style  as  that  which  marks  in  stained  glass 
the  arrival  of  the  fourteenth  century.  So  noticeable 
is  the  difference  between  the  windows  of  the  thir- 
teenth and  those  of  the  fourteenth  centuries  that  it 
can  be  seen  at  a  glance.  Not  only  were  the  new  styles 
very  distinctive,  but  they  were  also  very  enduring,  for 
even  when  the  fifteenth  century  arrived  it  did  little 
but  elaborate  the  ideas  introduced  by  the  fourteenth, 
and  for  that  reason  we  should  consider  them  together 
as  forming  one  epoch.  The  new  results  which  we  now 
find  are  not  only  in  effect,  but  also  in  light  and  in 
placing  of  figures.  This  transformation  took  place 
within  a  few  years  and  was,  therefore,  as  sudden  in 
point  of  time  as  it  was  in  treatment,  which  latter  is 
so  marked  that  it  excites  our  curiosity  as  to  its  causes. 
It  is  safe  to  assume  that  we  hav^e  here  happened  upon 
not  only  one  novelty  but  a  coincidence  of  several,  as 
otherwise  the  change  would  have  been  much  less 
abrupt.  Most  of  the  new  elements  which  in  combi- 
nation so  suddenly  produced  such  a  sweeping  change 
can  be  studied  from  the  glass  which  has  survived  to 

117 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

these  modem  days,  but  of  one  we  can  now  only  read : 
this  was  the  demand  for  domestic  glass,  and  unfortu- 
nately but  few  examples  of  it  are  left  to  us.  The  old 
chroniclers  tell  us  of  many  private  houses  and  build- 
ings devoted  to  civil  uses  having  their  windows  glazed 
in  colour,  a  form  of  luxury  hitherto  found  only  in 
religious  edifices.  We  know  that  it  then  began  to 
be  widely  used,  especially  in  Paris,  but  it  did  not 
survive  the  turbulence  of  those  times.  The  effect  of 
this  novel  use  on  glass  styles  was  very  marked.  Ob- 
viously it  was  not  practicable  to  employ  the  same 
sort  of  glass  in  the  smaller  rooms  of  a  dwelling 
house  that  we  have  seen  so  effective  in  the  larger  in- 
teriors of  religious  edifices.  We  notice  that  beauti- 
ful as  is  the  thirteenth  century  Ste.  Chapelle,  its 
"dim  religious  light"  is  unsuited  for  any  building  de- 
voted to  secular  uses.  No,  the  medallion  window 
with  its  deep-toned  panes  and  profusion  of  leads 
would  not  serve  for  civil  or  domestic  purposes,  nor, 
on  the  other  hand,  could  we  bring  down  the  big 
personages  from  the  clerestories  of  cathedrals;  they 
were  most  impressive  when  seen  from  the  distance 
which  their  lofty  situation  necessitated,  but  they  were 
much  too  crude  and  coarse  in  their  workman- 
ship to  be  lowered  to  the  level  of  the  observer's  eye. 
For  this  new  demand  of  domestic  architecture  it 
was  obvious  that  something  must  be  devised  which 
would  give  more  light.  One  method  of  effecting  it 
was  using  coloured  figures  on  a  soft  grisaille  back- 

118 


FOURTEENTH  AND  FIFTEENTH 

ground,  but  this  bas  only  to  be  seen  to  be  found  un- 
satisfactory. Some  examples  of  this  exist  in  the 
north  side  of  Ste.  Radegonde  at  Poitiers.  They  are 
interesting,  but  the  figures  start  out  from  the  light 
background  so  violently  as  to  plainly  make  them  un- 
suitable in  small  interiors.  Plain  grisaille  was  not 
rich  enough  to  be  used  in  a  fine  private  house.  As 
a  compromise  between  these  two  methods  they  ar- 
rived at  the  use  of  a  border  of  greyish  simulated 
Gothic  architecture  to  frame  the  central  coloured 
figure  of  a  window.  In  this  way  the  border  ad- 
mitted the  light  and  the  figure  gave  the  richness; 
these  Gothic  frames  were  called  "canopies."  But  why 
a  frame  of  architecture  ?  The  interest  in  Gothic  had 
by  this  time  spread  throughout  the  fair  land  of 
France.  Many  beautiful  examples  of  it  had  just  come 
into  being  before  people's  eyes — it  was  the  delight  of 
all.  It  was  but  natural  that  this  noble  style,  still 
young,  should  be  introduced  by  the  glazier,  especially 
as  it  lent  itself  to  the  demand  for  more  light.  Besides, 
in  knowledge  of  Gothic,  the  glass  artist  was  second 
only  to  the  architect,  as  the  windows  were  made  to 
suit  the  church,  not  the  church  the  windows.  This 
observation  upon  the  relation  of  the  glazier  to  the 
architect  brings  us  to  another  reason  for  the  abrupt 
change  in  stained  glass,  and  of  this  we  can  to-day 
readily  find  examples.  We  have  said  that  the  artist 
had  to  make  his  glass  to  suit  the  window  apertures. 
About  that  time  the  architect  was  changing  their 

119 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

shape.  Instead  of  being  broad  and  single  windows 
they  were  now  more  numerous  but  narrower  and 
taller,  and  were  brought  together  in  groups  of  two 
or  more,  separated  only  by  stone  mullions.  Above 
this  cluster  of  narrow  lancets  and  in  order  to  taper 
them  off  gracefully,  were  placed  smaller  openings 
called  tracery  lights.  Without  this -tapering  at  the 
top,  the  group  below  would  look  unfinished  and  ill- 
proportioned.  The  few,  though  wide  windows  used 
during  the  thirtee'nth  century  were  found  to  give  too 
little  light,  and,  besides,  were  not  as  decorative  as 
the  Gothic  architect  demanded  for  his  more  elabo- 
rate style.  This  new  period  in  architecture  is  called 
^^Decorated,"  which  name  has  also  properly  been  ap- 
plied  to  its  glass.  The  architect  not  only  did  every- 
thing in  his  power  to  gain  more  light  by  providing 
many  more  wall  apertures,  but  doubtless  he  also 
insisted  that  the  glazier  assist  in  this  endeavour. 
We  have  just  seen  that  the  latter  complied  with  this 
request  by  surrounding  his  coloured  figures  with 
light-admitting  architectural  frames  of  greyish-yel- 
low. Nor  did  he  stop  there:  he  helped  the  architect 
to  bind  together  more  harmoniously  his  groups  of 
narrow  lights  into  which  the  whole  window  was  now 
split  up,  for  he  realised  that  horizontal  bands  of 
light  colour  placed  straight  across  these  narrow 
lights  would  effect  this  purpose.  The  slender  stone 
mullions  which  divided  them  showed  too  many 
perpendicular  lines  and  tended  to  make  the  windows 

120 


it|n 


ima  iiiiii  umML  iinti 


nf?e«  W  1  ri(^^#444|  ■  ^Hv? 


JM!!l  SRIMII    mil  Jffill 

i^Mi  tmm  Srm&A  mm 


:a\  mml 


'U«  T  lA. 


'imi  mm 


m 


m 


15TH  CENTURY  «*CANOPY"  WINDOW,  ST.  LO. 

Name  given  because  0/  Gothic  canopy  used  to  frame  the  coloured 
figures.  The  Pale  grey  glass  in  the  canopy  portion  admitted 
much  more  light  than  the  earlier  windows  richly  coloured 
throughout.     Note  the  modestly  drawn  donors  in  the  lowest  panels. 

14th  century  canopies  seldom  filled  the  whole  embrasure,  ap- 
pearing only  in  bands  across  a  grisaille  field;  besides,  their 
architectitre  was  much  cruder,  they  lacked  pedestals,  etc. 


fouetee:^th  a:n"d  riFTEE:N^TH 

seem  spindling,  but  this  was  corrected  by  the  broad 
bands  of  light  afforded  by  the  grey  and  yellow  cano- 
py tops  running  along  over  the  heads  of  the  saints 
occupying  the  tall  narrow  panes.  Perhaps  the  reader 
is  already  asking  whence  the  artist  obtained  so  much 
grey  and  yellow,  because  thirteenth  century  glass 
leaves  rather  a  strong  purple  memory  behind  it.  To 
answer  this  question  is  to  bring  forward  another  new 
thing  and  one  which  also  had  a  large  share  in  abruptly 
changing  the  styles.  About  the  beginning  of  the  four- 
teenth century  it  was  discovered  that  if  silver  were 
floated  upon  the  surface  of  glass  and  then  exposed  to 
the  furnace,  the  result  would  be  a  bright  yellow  stain. 
The  word  "stain"  is  used  advisedly,  because  by  this 
method  the  surface  received  a  durable  colour  not  re- 
movable like  paint.  We  have  already  seen  that  pot- 
metal  colour  was  introduced  throughout  the  mass 
during  the  time  of  the  making  of  the  glass  and  was 
therefore  part  of  it  from  the  beginning.  This  new 
stain  was  not  applied  until  after  the  glass  was  made, 
and  no  other  tint  but  yellow  could  be  produced  in 
this  way.  The  discovery  of  this  valuable  secret  has 
been  variously  recounted,  but  always  the  credit  is 
given  to  blind  chance,  some  silver  happening  to  drip 
upon  glass  which,  when  burnt,  disclosed  to  the  sur- 
prised workman  the  new  and  beautiful  yellow.  Its 
great  value  in  admitting  light  as  well  as  in  enriching 
the  tones  of  a  window  was  at  once  appreciated.  No 
longer  was  it  necessary  to  laboriously  lead  in  a  bit 

121 


stai:n^ed  glass  tours  m  France 

of  yellow  pot-metal  glass  where  that  hue  was  de- 
manded by  the  design.  'Now  all  that  was  done  was  to 
float  a  little  silver  upon  a  large  piece  of  glass  at  the 
point  or  points  required,  expose  it  to  the  fire,  and 
behold !  a  tint  that  made  glorious  the  hair  of 
angels,  or  the  robes  of  saints  and  high  dignitaries. 
Touches  of  this  rich  colour  also  made  possible  archi- 
tectural frames  which  would  otherwise  have  seemed 
dull,  flat  and  opaquely  grey.  Each  little  pinnacle 
could  be  brightened  up,  lines  of  yellow  would  enliven 
columns  and  the  canopy  window  in  its  light  soft 
beauty  was  made  practicable. 

It  is  an  unfortunate  fact  that  the  best  glass  of 
this  period  is  not  to  be  seen  in  Paris,  although  we  can 
get  a  fair  idea  of  its  effect  from  the  fifteenth  century 
canopied  figures  in  the  clerestory  of  St.  Severin.  A 
few  of  those  at  the  west  end  of  this  church  are  at 
once  seen  to  differ  in  their  design  from  the  others, 
although  all  are  of  the  true  canopy  type.  These  few 
to  the  west  were  brought  from  their  original  place 
in  the  choir  of  St.  Germain  des  Pres.  At  St. 
Severin  we  shall  note  several  points  which  serve  to 
distinguish  the  canopies  of  the  fifteenth  century  from 
the  earlier  ones  of  the  fourteenth.  The  difference 
is  chiefly  in  the  use  of  more  colours  in  the  later 
figures,  as  well  as  more  careful  architectural  detail 
in  their  canopies.  Further,  to  make  his  windows 
lighter  in  tone,  the  French  glazier  of  the  fourteenth 
century  generally  used  bands  of  canopies  only  across 

122 


FOUETEEXTH  Al^B  FIFTEENTH 

the  middle  third  of  the  surface,  filling  the  upper- 
most and  lowest  thirds  with  grisaille.  The  fifteenth 
century  canopies  almost  invariably  filled  the  entire 
embrasure.  Frequently  during  the  fourteenth  cen- 
tury the  artist  was  not  content  with  the  light  ad- 
mitted by  his  canopies,  but  added  to  it  by  using  white 
for  one  or  more  of  the  saints'  robes.  This  practice 
so  reduced  the  number  of  colours  in  the  background 
and  the  garments  that  we  seldom  find  more  than  two 
colours  within  the  niches  of  fourteenth  century  cano- 
pies, while  in  the  fifteenth  century  we  almost  al- 
ways find  four.  Then,  too,  there  is  an  added  feature 
of  decoration  in  the  later  ones  which  is  generally 
lacking  earlier :  across  the  back  of  the  niche  a  coloured 
curtain  is  carried  shoulder  high  behind  the  figure, 
and  this  curtain  is  almost  always  damasked.  This 
can  be  remarked  at  St.  Severin,  where  we  shall  also 
see  that  all  the  figures  stand  upon  elaborate  pedes- 
tals, another  sign  that  we  are  looking  at  work  of  the 
fifteenth  century,  for  in  the  fourteenth  they  would 
have  lacked  pedestals  and  be  found  standing  upon 
grass  or  some  other  natural  and  unarchitectural  base. 
The  artist  was  so  careful  to  cling  closely  to  con- 
temporary conventions  that  sometimes  we  happen 
upon  very  amusing  compromises.  For  example,  here 
tradition  demanded  pedestals,  so  there  they  are,  even 
though  he  had  to  make  the  rather  ridiculous  combi- 
nation of  a  figure  standing  upon  a  half-circle  of 
cloud  neatly  balanced  upon  the  pedestal's  tessellated 

123 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FKANCE 

pavement.  The  conventions  demanded  the  little 
pavement,  the  design  required  the  clouds,  so  he  gave 
us  both !  In  these  days  when  we  are  so  occupied  in 
copying  older  art,  it  is  interesting  to  see  traces  of  a 
time  when  they  jealously  clung  to  the  styles  and 
forms  which  were  then  new. 

A  brilliant  yellow  was  the  only  tint  obtainable 
by  the  process  of  staining,  but  it  is  also  true  that 
other  new  colours  were  secured,  although  by  means  of 
an  entirely  different  discovery  which,  of  itself,  pro- 
vided yet  another  new  thing  to  combine  with  those 
already  enumerated  in  changing  glass  methods.  This 
discovery  took  place  early  in  the  fourteenth  century 
and  made  it  possible  to  superimpose  another  colour 
upon  white  or  coloured  glass.  The  method  of  produc- 
ing this  effect  was  very  simple :  the  end  of  the  blow- 
pipe was  dipped  first  into  liquid  glass  of  one  colour, 
and  then  into  another,  with  the  result  that  the  bubble 
when  blown  was  of  one  colour  inside  and  of  another 
outside.  The  bubble  was  then  opened  out  into  the 
flat  sheet  as  usual.  This  process  had  always  been 
followed  to  make  red  glass,  which  was  really  a  sheet 
of  white  coated  with  ruby,  but  now  all  sorts  of  com- 
binations were  made.  Thus  a  brilliant  purple  could 
be  obtained  by  coating  a  piece  of  red  glass  with  blue ; 
red  on  yellow  would  give  a  splendid  orange ;  blue  on 
yellow  a  brilliant  green.  Although  invented  early 
in  the  fourteenth  century,  this  process  did  not  have 
all  its  possibilities  developed  until  during  the  fif- 

124 


FOURTEENTH  AND  FIFTEENTH 

teenth,  when  the  number  of  layers  was  gradually 
increased  until  we  find  some  specimens  showing  six 
different  coats.  We  shall  enjoy  the  results  when  we 
visit  Quimper  or  Eymoutiers  or  Bourges.  The 
French  have  a  very  descriptive  name  for  glass  treated 
in  this  manner :  they  call  it  'Verre  double/'  or  "lined 
glass,"  referring  to  the  fact  that  there  are  two  layers. 
The  abrupt  change  in  glass  windows  which  took  place 
at  the  beginning  of  the  fourteenth  century  becomes 
less  extraordinary  when  we  recapitulate  the  various 
discoveries  in  the  art  and  realise  what  an  effect  must 
have  been  caused  by  such  a  combination  as  that  of 
(a)  the  chance-revealed  yellow  stain;  (b)  domestic 
use  which  required  glass  fit  for  small,  well-lighted 
interiors;  (c)  the  demands  of  the  architect  for  his 
narrowed  and  more  numerous  window  apertures,  and 
lastly  (d)  the  enriching  of  the  artist's  palette  due  to 
the  new  process  of  doubling  the  sheets  of  glass.  The 
whole  trend  is  now  towards  much  more  light,  larger 
pieces  of  glass,  brighter  colours  and  more  attention 
to  the  design  at  the  expense  of  the  colour  effect  of  the 
window. 

We  have  now  not  only  set  forth  the  great  change 
that  was  so  speedily  effected  in  the  style  and  appear- 
ance of  stained  glass,  but  further,  we  have  enumer- 
ated the  various  novelties,  both  in  popular  require- 
ments and  in  technique,  which  brought  about  the 
light  tones  of  the  fourteenth  century.  The  steps  by 
which  was  effected  this  transition  from  the  thirteenth 

125 


STAINED  GLASS  TOUES  IN  FRANCE 

century  mosaic  type  with  its  rudimentary  suggestion 
of  a  canop3^,  to  the  fourteenth  century  figure  en- 
sconced in  his  little  sentry-box,  can  be  seen  on  but 
few  existing  windows;  in  fact,  so  little  transition 
glass  is  there  that  the  change  strikes  one  all  the  more 
forcibly.  There  are,  however,  a  few  available  for 
this  purpose,  notably  the  three  eastern  lancets  of  the 
Lady  Chapel  in  the  Abbey  Church  at  Fecamp,  and  a 
certain  window  in  the  north  transept  of  Amiens 
Cathedral.  The  Fecamp  lancets  show  us  the  first 
step,  where,  although  the  glass  is  still  entirely 
mosaic,  the  architecture  at  the  top  is  brought  down 
the  sides  of  the  figure  so  as  to  complete  the  sentry- 
box.  Of  course  this  admits  no  more  light  than  the 
regular  medallion  lancets  which  conveniently  assist 
our  comparison  by  flanking  on  either  side  the  three 
easterly  ones.  We  have  thus  arrived  at  the  enfram- 
ing canopy,  but  have  not  yet  conformed  to  the  de- 
mand for  more  light  which  had  now  become  so  in- 
sistent. How  will  this  be  done?  A  mosaic  medal- 
lion could  not  well  be  put  upon  a  light  surface,  as  it 
would  look  splotchy  and  unfinished  (viz. :  first  chapel 
on  the  left  of  choir  ambulatory  in  Rouen  Cathedral), 
nor  would  it  do  to  station  unf ramed,-  isolated,  coloured 
figures  on  an  uncoloured  surface  (viz. :  Ste.  Rade- 
gonde  at  Poitiers).  To  avoid  the  unfinished  appear- 
ance, they  hit  upon  the  idea  of  surrounding  the 
coloured  figure  with  a  frame-like  architectural  bor- 
der  (as  just  seen  at  Fecamp),  and  then  put  this 

126 


EOURTEENTH  AND  FIFTEENTH 

framed  picture  in  the  midst  of  the  plain  panes.  This 
step  is  exemplified  by  a  large  double-lanceted  win- 
dow just  west  of  the  north  transept  door  in  Amiens 
Cathedral.  The  entire  window  is  surcharged  with  a 
number  of  these  canopy-framed  figures  arranged  in 
parallel  perpendicular  lines.  We  have  now  gained 
more  light,  and  it  is  easy  to  see  what  is  coming  next. 
Instead  of  placing  the  small  canopies  up  and  down 
the  window  (as  at  Amiens),  it  would  obviously  be 
more  effective  to  assemble  them  in  bands  across  it. 
Both  Sees  and  Evreux  serve  to  illustrate  this  manner 
of  glazing.  There  are  many  examples  that  mark  the 
slow  development  from  these  fourteenth  century 
horizontal  rows  of  canopies  across  a  grisaille  or  quar- 
ry background,  to  the  perfected  canopy  window  of 
the  fifteenth  century,  where  the  service  of  admitting 
light  is  entirely  transferred  from  the  grisaille  or 
quarry  to  the  canopy  itself.  This  has  been  rendered 
possible  by  greatly  increasing  the  space  allotted  to 
the  simulated  stonework,  so  as  to  enable  it  to  let  in 
all  the  illumination  required,  and  at  the  same  time 
perform  its  duty  of  framing  the  coloured  part  of  the 
picture.  These  windows  at  Fecamp  and  Amiens  are 
very  instructive  as  showing  us  the  experimental  steps 
which  resulted  in  the  satisfactory  combination  of 
picture  and  illumination,  instead  of  splotches  of 
colour  on  a  light  field. 

It  must  not  be  thought  that  we  have  dwelt  too 
long  on  this  particular  period  of  transition,  for  this 

127 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

is  the  only  time  during  the  Golden  Age  of  glass  that 
there  took  place  an  abrupt  change  in  styles,  and  there- 
fore a  speedy  and  marked  transition.  There  was 
certainly  nothing  hasty  in  the  way  that  the  broad 
borders  and  larger  glass  pieces  of  the  twelfth  century 
developed  into  the  narrower  borders  and  more 
minutely  mosaic  method  of  the  thirteenth.  As  to 
the  transition  from  the  fourteenth  to  the  fifteenth 
century,  so  slowly  and  so  imperceptibly  was  it  ef- 
fected that  we  have  decided  to  study  those  two  cen- 
turies together  as  one  epoch,  the  second  being  but  the 
natural  elaboration  of  the  first.  Lastly,  nothing  could 
be  more  measured  and  deliberate  than  the  steps  by 
which  the  fifteenth  century  canopy  developed  into 
the  sixteenth  century  large  picture  panel,  by  first 
changing  the  canopy  from  Gothic  to  Renaissance, 
then  enlarging  the  scene  within  the  new  canopy  until 
it  finally  outgrew  the  need  for  the  frame,  and  emerged 
therefrom  in  its  completed  state,  often  covering  a 
whole  window. 

If  at  this  point  we  turn  to  our  histories,  we  shall 
soon  encounter  reasons  which  convincingly  explain 
why  there  remains  so  little  fourteenth-fifteenth  cen- 
tury glass  for  us  to  see.  This  was  the  period  of  the 
English  occupation  of  a  large  portion  of  France.  A 
peaceful  possession  of  a  part  of  the  country  might 
not  have  interfered  with  the  course  of  art  in  other 
quarters,  but  the  English  possession  was  fai  from  a 
peaceful  one.     Fighting,  and  that  of  the  bitterest 

128 


rOUKTEENTH  AND  FIFTEENTH 

kind,  went  on  continually.  We  have  only  to  mention 
the  "Hundred  Years  War"  with  England  (1337- 
1453),  marked  by  the  disastrous  defeats  of  Crecy 
(1346)  and  of  Poitiers  (1356),  to  be  reminded  of 
that.  It  is  true  that  Bertrand  du  Guesclin  won  a 
short-lived  success  against  the  English  (1364),  but 
1415  sees  them  again  victorious  at  Agincourt  and 
their  occupation  of  Paris  in  1421.  This  temporary 
victory  of  Du  Guesclin  proved  an  evil  thing  for 
France,  as  it  prolonged  the  fighting  and  increased  the 
frightful  carnage  which  drenched  French  soil  with 
blood.  It  is  clear  that  during  times  like  these  the 
nobility  was  not  in  a  position  to  interest  itself  in 
beautifying  chateaux  or  churches.  They  were  most 
earnestly  concerned  in  the  gentle  art  of  erecting  for- 
tifications; safety  and  strength  were  of  vital  impor- 
tance; beauty  had  to  stand  aside  and  wait.  The 
records  show  many  instances  of  great  architectural 
enterprises  being  halted  from  lack  of  funds  or  from 
other  motives,  a  case  in  point  being  Troyes  Cathe- 
dral, upon  which  no  work  was  done  for  a  long  period 
of  years.  The  nobility  were  injured  more  than  the 
lower  classes  by  these  wars,  and  in  the  great  defeats 
of  Crecy,  Poitiers  and  Agincourt  their  losses  were 
frightful.  Many  a  titled  family  lost  its  estates  and 
many  another  was  exterminated.  In  battle  the  mid- 
dle and  lower  classes  suffered  proportionately  less, 
because  the  French  placed  most  of  their  reliance  upon 
armoured  knights  and  disdained  to  avail  themselves 

129 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  TRANCE 

of  the  bourgeoisie  to  the  same  extent  as  the  English, 
whose  splendid  bo\^^nen  and  yeomanry  were  so  potent 
a  factor  in  winning  those  great  victories.  The  fact 
that  the  great  families  of  France  were  so  grievously 
crippled  during  these  wars  goes  far  to  explain  why 
glass  painting  languished  for  lack  of  the  support 
which  the  luxury-loving  class  of  society  was  not  then 
able  to  give  it.  Almost  as  serious  for  the  nobles  as 
the  losses  in  battle  and  other  ravages  of  war,  was  the 
reign  of  the  subtle  Louis  XI  (1461-81),  who  devoted 
his  entire  life  to  destroying  the  strength  of  the  no- 
bility and  to  building  upon  its  ruins  the  centralised 
power  of  the  throne,  meanwhile  guarding  this  in- 
crease of  kingly  power  by  encouraging  the  growth 
of  the  gendarmerie,  and  generally  the  military  re- 
liability of  the  bourgeoisie.  One  incident  from  his 
life  provides  us  with  a  fact  of  great  interest  to  a  glass 
student.  Upon  the  occasion  of  the  repulse  of  the 
Bretons  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  French  city  of 
St.  L6,  Louis  presented  to  the  cathedral  of  that  town, 
as  an  expression  of  his  approval  of  the  bravery  of 
its  citizens,  a  fine  set  of  stained  glass  windows.  As 
an  event  in  political  statecraft  it  is  most  significant : 
he  did  not  ennoble  or  enrich  certain  leaders,  but 
gave  the  entire  fighting  populace  a  royal  gift.  To 
us  it  has  a  peculiar  interest,  because  the  incident 
shows  that  stained  glass  was  held  in  such  high  es- 
teem as  to  be  considered  a  worthy  gift  from  a  king 
to  a  city.    But  before  turning  from  a  review  of  the 

190 


rOFRTEENTH  A-ND  FIFTEENTH 

evil  days  which  fell  upon  France,  we  must  notice 
that  although  the  nobility  suffered  more  heavily  from 
battle  and  statecraft  than  any  other  class,  the  times 
w^ere  tragic  enough  for  all  Frenchmen,  whether  noble 
or  peasant,  rich  or  poor.  The  plague  raged  through- 
out the  land — not  once,  but  many  times — during 
these  two  centuries  and  its  fearsome  grasp  fell  upon 
all  alike.  !N^or  was  this  misery  enough;  to  all  these 
calamities  was  added  that  of  civil  war  of  the  worst 
type — ^the  war  of  the  masses  against  the  classes.  The 
scorn  in  which  the  nobles  held  the  poor  man  was  but 
the  natural  outcome  of  the  feudal  state.  The  man 
in  armour  despised  Jacques  Bonhomme,  as  he  called 
him.  When  in  1358  the  disorders  afflicting  the  body 
politic  caused  this  contempt  and  ill-treatment  to  so 
increase  that  it  could  no  longer  be  endured,  the  up- 
rising of  the  oppressed  against  the  oppressor  assumed 
in  hideous  satire  the  name  of  the  Jacquerie.  Before 
it  could  be  finally  put  down,  French  soil  was  drenched 
again  and  again  with  blood.  Even  this  short  dip  into 
contemporary  history  has  revealed  enough  to  make 
it  passing  strange  that  any  glass  at  all  was  made  in 
France  during  those  trying  times,  and  stranger  still 
that,  if  made,  it  should  have  survived. 

AVe  have  just  seen  that  during  most  of  these  two 
centuries  the  French  kings  were  fully  occupied  at 
home,  first  in  fighting  the  English,  with  France  as 
the  battleground,  and  later  in  subduing  their  arrogant 
nobles    and    adding    Burgundy,    Franche    Comte, 

131 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FKANCE 

Artois,  Provence  and  Brittany  to  the  French  crown. 
At  the  end  of  this  period,  with  their  home  lands 
cleared  of  the  English  and  the  centralised  power  of 
the  throne  much  strengthened,  we  shall  see  how, 
under  Louis  XII  (1498)  and  Francis  I  (1515),  war 
was  carried  on  outside  the  borders  of  France.  Under 
the  influences  of  this  freedom  from  the  ravages  of 
war,  combined  with  tasie  for  art  learnt  during  the 
Italian  campaigns  and  brought  back  to  France,  there 
sprang  up  an  esthetic  revival  called  the  French 
Renaissance.  This  new  development  is  going  to  give 
us  a  very  different  style  of  glass  painting,  which  we 
will  study  later  under  the  title  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury. 

Before  starting  out  to  visit  the  glass  of  the  four- 
teenth and  fifteenth  centuries,  there  are  several  re- 
marks to  be  made  upon  it  as  a  whole.  There  is  not 
nearly  so  much  left  for  us  to  see  as  there  is  of  the 
thirteenth  century.  It  is  not  going  to  be  so  easy  to 
reach  it  and  we  shall  have  to  take  longer  trips.  We 
may  journey  far  off  to  the  western  comer  of  Brittany 
to  see  the  admirable  Cathedral  of  Quimper,  or  else 
down  south  near  Angouleme  where  we  find  in  the 
small  village  of  Eyraoutiers  a  most  charming  ex- 
ample. Of  sixteenth  century  glass  we  shall  find 
much;  of  thirteenth  a  great  deal;  but  of  fourteenth 
and  fifteenth  centuries,  only  a  little.  At  first  one  un- 
doubtedly prefers  the  windows  of  the  thirteenth  and 
the   sixteenth  centuries,  but   after  one  has  studied 

132 


FOURTEENTH  AND  EIFTEEII^TH 

glass  for  awhile,  he  will  surely  come  to  feel  that 
there  is  a  certain  fascination  about  the  silvery  glow 
of  a  canopy  window  that  is  not  surpassed  by  the 
jewelled  glitter  of  the  thirteenth  century  or  the  more 
brilliant  colouring  and  drawing  of  the  sixteenth. 
During  the  period  now  under  discussion  there  was  a 
great  deal  of  good  glass  made,  and  from  the  records 
we  learn  of  many  a  fine  window  now  long  since  de- 
stroyed. A  fair  way  to  judge  the  French  glassmakers 
is  to  learn  what  their  contemporaries  across  the 
channel  thought  of  them.  For  this  purpose  it  is 
worth  citing  from  the  contract  for  glazing  Beau- 
champ  Chapel  at  Warwick,  which  contract  was  made 
by  the  Earl  of  Warwick's  executors  with  a  certain 
John  Prudde  of  Westminster,  dated  1447.  This 
contract  requires  that  no  English  glass  be  used,  but 
that  the  windows  be  glazed  ''only  with  best  foreign 
glass  procurable  and  to  use  as  little  white,  green  and 
black  glass  as  possible.''  John  Prudde  got  his  ma- 
terial from  France.  We  find  another  apposite  state- 
ment in  Britton's  History  of  Exeter  Cathedral.  He 
says  that  500  square  feet  of  glass  was  bought  for  the 
cathedral  in  1302-4  and  that  when  another  large  pur- 
chase was  made  in  1317  they  sent  to  Rouen  for  it. 
From  these  citations,  selected  from  many  similar 
ones,  we  may  safely  gather  that  the  English  consid- 
ered French  glass  the  best,  which  is  most  significant 
when  one  reflects  that  just  at  that  time  English  glass 
was  at  its  highest  point. 

133 


FOUETEENTH  AND  FIFTEENTH  CEN- 
TURY PILGRIMAGES 

From  the  standpoint  of  one  who  finds  himself  in 
Paris,  it  is  not  going  to  be  very  convenient  to  visit 
the  glass  we  are  now  considering.  If  he  will  con- 
tent himself  with  a  little,  he  can  see  that  without 
much  difficulty.  He  has  but  to  visit  the  two  nearby 
cities  of  Evreux  and  Rouen,  each  of  them  only  an 
hour  and  a  half  by  train  from  Paris  and  not  far  re- 
moved from  each  other.  The  latter  is,  admittedly, 
peculiarly  a  place  to  study  sixteenth  century  glass — 
its  numerous  churches  are  full  of  it.  While  it  is 
better  to  visit  Rouen  in  connection  with  the  sixteenth 
century,  still  we  have  mentioned  it  at  this  time  be- 
cause one  of  its  churches,  St.  Ouen,  affords  such  a 
beautifully  complete  exposition  of  fourteenth  century 
glazing.  Besides,  it  is  near  Evreux,  and  therefore 
we  advise  that  it  be  visited  now  so  that  the  glass  at 
St.  Ouen  can  be  seen  directly  after  that  in  the  Cathe- 
dral of  Evreux.  If  our  reader  wishes  to  thoroughly 
study  the  glass  of  this  period,  we  would  advise  him 
to  begin  with  a  longer  trip,  which  we  will  outline, 
and  then  conclude  with  Evreux  and  Rouen,  because 
he  will  then  be  enabled,  after  seeing  the  fourteenth 

134 


FOURTEENTH  AND  FIFTEENTH 

century  glass  of  Rouen,  to  immediately  pass  on  to 
the  study  of  the  sixteenth  century  windows  which  are 
so  splendid  and  abundant  in  the  other  churches  of 
that  Mecca  of  the  glass  student. 

Now  for  the  longer  tour  just  mentioned.  It  should 
begin  at  Bourges,  four  hours  and  a  quarter  from 
Paris  by  train.  Thence  we  go  south  to  Clermont- 
Ferrand  (on  our  way  stopping  to  visit  its  little  neigh- 
bour, Riom),  next  across  the  mountains  which  over- 
shadow these  last  two  towns,  to  Eymoutiers,  which 
lies  close  to  Limoges,  the  next  city  in  order.  From 
Limoges  we  go  north  to  Poitiers,  then  to  Angers,  to 
Le  Mans,  through  x\lencon  to  Sees,  to  Verneuil,  and 
conclude  with  Chartres,  an  hour  and  a  quarter  from 
Paris  by  express.  Although  this  is  a  long  tour,  we 
can  safely  promise  that  it  will  repay  the  pilgrim. 
If  the  pilgrim  has  already  visited  Chartres  for  its 
thirteenth  century  glass,  he  probably  took  occasion 
to  see  that  of  the  fourteenth  century  in  the  church 
of  St.  Pierre.  In  that  event  he  can  omit  Chartres 
at  this  time.  If  he  wishes,  he  can  go  on  from  Ver- 
neuil to  Evreux  (43  kilometres),  and  thus  link  this 
longer  trip  to  the  shorter  one  already  described.  It 
is  only  in  the  event  that  he  travels  by  automobile  or 
bicycle  that  we  suggest  a  stop  at  Moulins  on  his  way 
from  Bourges  to  Riom,  for  his  way  lies  through  it; 
but  if  he  travels  by  train,  then,  because  of  the  finer 
and  more  plentiful  glass  he  is  about  to  see,  Moulins 
may  well  be  omitted.     We  would  not  recommend 

135 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

visiting  Limoges  if  it  were  not  directly  upon  his  road, 
no  matter  by  what  means  of  transportation  he  travels. 
There  is  hardly  a  place  in  France  where  fifteenth 
century  glass  can  be  seen  to  greater  advantage  than 
in  the  Cathedral  of  Quiraper,  but  it  is  too  far  from 
any  other  glass  place  to  be  combined  therewith  into  a 
tour.  It  is  tucked  away  in  the  northwestern  part  of 
France,  eleven  hours  from  Paris  by  express,  and  is 
only  mentioned  here  so  that  if  the  traveller  finds  him- 
self in  its  neighbourhood  he  may  not  fail  to  avail 
himself  of  the  opportunity.  The  long  tour  beginning 
at  Bourges  and  ending  at  Chartres,  will,  if  supple- 
mented by  the  short  one  to  Evreux  and  Rouen,  show 
him  most  of  the  best  glass  of  this  period  which  has 
come  down  to  our  time.  It  is  easily  distinguish- 
able from  that  of  the  century  preceding  it  as  well  as 
of  the  century  following,  and  has  a  beauty  all  its  own. 


136 


E  vreux 

,       ®  PARIS 


Riom 
Limoges     X^<^«^iMi„<5' Clermont - 

Eymoutiers  Per  rand 


14TH  AND  15TH  CENTURIES  TOURS. 

(a)    E vreux,  Rouen. 

Kb)     Bonrges,   Moulins,    Riom,   Clermont-Ferrand,  Eymoutiers,  Limoges, 
Poitiers,  Angers,  Le  Mans,  (Alencon),  Sees,  Verneiiil,  Ctiartres. 
A  Iso  separate  visit  to  Quitnper. 

{For  table  0/ distances,  see  page  2gj.) 


EVKEIJX 

In  one's  mental  picture  of  a  town  there  is  almost 
always  a  single  feature  which  stands  out  prominently 
at  the  expense  of  the  others.  For  example,  winding 
crowded  streets  are  apt  to  rise  in  one's  mind  when 
London  is  mentioned.  The  broad  straight  thorough- 
fares of  St.  Petersburg  are  sure  to  give  roominess 
and  breadth  to  our  memory  of  the  Russian  capital. 
In  a  similar  fashion  when  the  writer  thinks  of  Evreux 
there  always  promptly  arises  a  picture  of  the  nar- 
rowness which  not  only  characterises  the  cathedral's 
nave,  but  also  the  little  channels  into  which  the  river 
Iton  subdivides  itself  in  preparation  for  its  leisure- 
ly meandering  through  the  town,  l^or  must  this  be 
taken  as  a  reproach  to  Evreux.  The  little  branches 
of  the  Iton  add  very  materially  to  the  quiet  beauty 
of  the  place.  So,  too,  beauty  is,  though  indirectly, 
lent  to  the  cathedral's  interior  by  the  very  narrow- 
ness of  its  nave.  A  nave  only  21  feet  wide  made 
very  difficult  the  problem  of  later  joining  to  it  a 
roomy  choir,  but  the  architect  hit  upon  an  ingenious 
device  to  secure  greater  width  for  the  latter  without 
having  the  difference  unpleasant  to  the  eye  when 

137 


STAII^ED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

viewed  from  other  parts  of  the  church.  Just  behind 
the  columns  at  the  edge  of  the  transept  crossing  he 
deftly  swelled  out  his  choir  walls  at  such  an  angle  that 
from  no  part  of  the  nave  is  the  curving  swelling  of 
these  walls  visible. 

The  chapels  that  surround  this  graceful  choir  are 
separated  from  the  ambulatory  by  light  carved 
wooden  screens,  very  dainty  and  each  one  different. 
The  windows  all  about  us  reveal  this  to  be  a  perfect 
treasure-house  of  fourteenth  century  glass,  for  it  has 
more  of  this  period  than  any  other  church  in  France 
except,  perhaps,  St.  Ouen,  at  Rouen.  In  our  pre- 
liminary talk  about  the  fourteenth  century  we  re- 
ferred to  the  startling  abruptness  with  which  taste 
in  glass  veered  around  from  the  light-obscuring 
medallions  of  the  preceding  century  to  the  light-ad- 
mitting treatment  of  the  fourteenth.  We  there  stated 
that  the  two  favourite  methods  of  getting  more  light 
were,  first,  the  canopy  treatment,  and  second,  but  to 
a  less  extent,  grisaille  windows  with  rich  borders 
which  were  sometimes,  but  not  always,  surcharged 
with  coloured  figures  or  panels.  At  Evreux  we  shall 
not  only  find  many  an  excellent  example  of  both  these 
new  methods,  but  also  interesting  proof  of  how  early 
in  the  century  the  new  style  laid  hold  upon  public 
taste  and  that,  too,  in  a  very  fully  developed  and  com- 
pleted form.  The  windows  given  by  Guillaume 
d'Harcourt,  dated  1310,  show  us  the  canopy  win- 
dow with  a  perfection  of  architectural  elaboration 

138 


FOURTEENTH  AND  FIFTEENTH 

that  is  surprising  when  we  consider  its  early  date. 
Not  only  is  the  canopy  well  advanced  in  its  detail, 
but  we  find  that  the  blue  background  is  damasked, 
a  feature  of  adornment  that  elsewhere  took  some 
time  to  develope.  The  use  of  grisaille  to  increase  the 
illumination  of  the  interior  is  here  amply  illustrated, 
as  is  also  a  certain  variation  of  it,  very  much  in 
vogue  at  that  time,  partly  because  it  was  decorative, 
and  partly,  perhaps  mostly,  because  it  was  so  easy 
to  glaze.  This  is  the  so-called  "quarry  window^'  of 
white  or  grisaille  glass  with  its  surface  composed  of 
either  square  (carre)  or  diamond-shaped  panels. 
These  quarry  windows  were  not  only  easy  to  lead, 
but  their  formal  design  broke  up  the  surface  of  the 
glass  very  agreeably,  especially  when  here  and  there 
touches  of  colour  were  introduced.  Nor  were  these 
quarries  always  used  without  colour  decoration,  for 
around  the  choir  triforium  we  shall  see  them  sur- 
charged with  gay  heraldic  blazons,  while  above,  in 
the  clerestory,  they  serve  to  fill  out  such  portions  of 
the  embrasures  as  are  not  occupied  by  the  bands  of 
canopies.  It  was  some  time  before  the  fourteenth 
century  glazier  arrived  at  the  point  of  filling  the  en- 
tire embrasure  with  his  canopy,  and  therefore  this 
hesitating  use  of  bands  of  canopies  across  a  light 
field  is  often  seen.  Below  in  the  choir  chapels  even 
less  of  the  space  is  devoted  to  canopies  and  more  to 
quarries  or  grisaille  than  in  the  clerestory.  Passing 
to  the  nave,  almost  all  the  window  surface  of  the 

139 


STAI>^ED  GLASS  TOURS  IX  FRANCE 

chapels  is  given  over  to  grisaille;  indeed,  it  is  only 
across  the  upper  third  that  one  «ees  the  quaint  little 
fourteenth  century  canopies.  So,  too,  the  clerestory 
is  all  grisaille  except  for  an  occasional  panel  in 
colour.  The  finest  work  of  the  period  here  is  around 
the  choir  clerestory — the  colours  are  richer  and  every 
part  of  the  decoration  more  carefully  studied.  Notice 
that  in  the  fourth  on  the  left,  the  second  lancet  con- 
tains a  kneeliDg  figure  holding  up  in  his  two  hands 
a  model  of  the  window  which  he  is  offering ;  his  name 
appears  in  large  letters  below — M.  Raoul  De 
Ferrieres.  The  rich  red  background,  surrounded  by 
the  golden  canopy,  makes  a  very  effective  combina- 
tion. This  same  pleasant  conceit  is  found  again  in 
the  most  westerly  lancet  of  the  fourth  choir  chapel  on 
the  right,  but  here  the  figure  is  much  smaller  and 
the  model  of  the  gift  window  not  so  carefully  drawn. 
Almost  all  these  clerestory  lights  display  facts  con- 
cerning their  donors  set  out  in  bold  lettering  that 
adds  materially  to  the  decorative  effect.  A  few  of  the 
panels  were  glazed  in  the  next  century;  they  are 
readily  picked  out  by  the  perfected  drawing  of  their 
canopies,  the  fact  that  they  completely  fill  the  em- 
brasures, the  pedestals  beneath  them,  etc.  Of  these 
later  ones,  the  first  on  the  left  especially  merits  our 
attention:  within  its  elaborate  canopy  framing  are 
a  triple  tier  of  niches.  In  the  middle  tier,  the  sec- 
ond niche  contains  the  Dauphin  (later  Louis  XI)  and 
the  fourth,  Charles  VII,  his  father.     This  reference 

140 


rOUETEENTH  Al^D  FIFTEENTH 

to  the  fifteenth  century  brings  ns  to  the  consideration 
of  its  mimeroiis  examples  found  here,  for  the  Lady 
Chapel,  all  the  north  transept  and  part  of  the  south- 
ern are  glazed  in  that  later  style.  In  the  Lady 
Chapel  the  canopies  enclose  a  double  tier  of  niches 
which  contain  scenes  remarkable  for  their  strong 
colouring,  as  well  as  for  the  unusual  number  of  in- 
dividuals in  each  little  group.  Under  the  second 
canopy  on  the  lower  tier  of  the  first  window  on  the 
left  is  depicted  Christ  feeding  the  multitude,  and  no 
less  than  twenty-five  figures  can  be  counted:  this  is 
the  greatest  number  the  writer  has  ever  observed  in  a 
canopy  panel. 

The  transepts  are  most  charming.  Each  is 
lighted  by  a  large  rose,  while  the  east  and  west  walls 
have  each  not  only  two  great  six-lancet  windows,  but 
in  addition,  the  triforium  gallery  is  pierced  and  is 
carried  around  under  the  rose.  Where  the  triforium 
passes  below  the  rose  we  have  in  each  case  eight  lan- 
cets filled  with  canopies  enclosing  single  figures,  and 
in  the  clerestory  of  the  north  transept  the  same  treat- 
ment— elsewhere  the  lancets  contain  grisaille  or  quar- 
ries surcharged  with  coloured  bosses  or  shields — the 
whole  bordered  in  colour.  Throughout  all  this  in- 
terior so  much  grisaille  and  quarry  work  was  used 
that  one  should  select  a  rainy  or  grey  day  for  one's 
visit,  because  on  a  sunny  day  the  illumination  is  dis- 
tinctly garish. 

Nor  is  it  for  the  Cathedral  alone  that  we  have 
141 


STAGED  GLASS  TOURS  m  FRANCE 

come  here — so  fine  is  the  glazing  at  St.  Taurin  that 
we  would  have  included  Evreux  in  our  tour  even  if 
there  had  been  nothing  to  enjoy  at  the  Cathedral. 
The  east  end  of  the  choir  juts  out  from  the  body 
of  the  church,  and  is  lighted  all  round  by  seven  lofty 
windows,  each  of  two  lancets  except  the  westerly  pair, 
which  have  four.  The  treatment  of  all  these  lan- 
cets is  alike:  the  enframing  canopy  encloses  three 
tiers  of  niches,  one  above  the  other,  in  each  of  which 
is  a  little  scene  in  colour.  One  pair  of  these  win- 
dows, the  second  from  the  west,  are  modem,  but  so 
faithfully  are  they  modelled  after  their  neighbours, 
that  they  do  not  mar  the  effect  of  the  whole.  Instead 
of  one  lone  saint  beneath  each  canopy  (then  so  com- 
mon as  to  be  almost  monotonous)  we  have  here 
groups,  always  agreeable  and  sometimes  amusing. 
For  example,  the  lower  left-hand  comer  of  the  win- 
dow just  left  of  the  centre  shows  us  St.  Taurin  res- 
cuing a  lady  from  some  very  pointed  flames,  while 
a  red  imp,  evidently  much  annoyed  at  being  exor- 
cised, is  darting  off,  much  to  the  pious  satisfaction  of 
^ve  smug  onlookers.  In  accordance  with  the  con- 
ventions, each  niche  has  at  the  back  a  damasked  cur- 
tain, above  which  a  glimpse  is  afforded  of  an  interior 
lighted  by  three  windows,  all  very  delicately  por- 
trayed. It  seems  ridiculously  incongruous  to  find 
cows  and  other  animals  in  the  foreground  of  such  a 
niche.  Unfortunately,  this  absiird  combination  of 
tradition  and  realism  was  not  rare  during  that  epoch, 

142 


rOUETEENTH  AND  FIFTEENTH 

The  original  glazing  of  the  upper  part  of  the  south- 
westerly window  has  been  replaced  by  a  later  Ascen- 
sion scene,  running  across  all  four  lancets.  At  the 
end  of  the  south  transept  is  a  broad  window,  very  in- 
teresting because  of  the  different  types  of  canopies 
in  its  six  lancets.  The  chief  charm  of  the  interior 
is  undoubtedly  the  choir,  whose  deliciously  soft-toned 
glazing  is  so  complete  as  to  afford  the  student  not 
only  valuable  material,  but  also  (and  this  is  much 
rarer)  an  excellent  impression  of  the  general  effect 
sought  for  by  the  fifteenth  century  glazier. 


148 


ROUEIT 

In  this  sketch  we  will  chiefly  turn  our  attention 
to  the  church  of  St.  Ouen,  although  we  will  also  take 
a  peep  into  the  Cathedral  and  into  St.  Maclou.  We 
will  defer  until  our  sixteenth  century  tours  a  fuller 
comment  upon  this  city  (see  page  249),  because  any 
one  who  has  studied  the  subject,  even  in  the  most  cur- 
sory way,  knows  that  he  must  go  to  Rouen  for  Renais- 
sance glass.  Although  the  splendid  windows  of  its  nu- 
merous churches  bear  witness  to  what  that  later  pe- 
riod did  for  our  art,  it  is  nevertheless  entirely  proper 
that  we  should  come  here  at  this  time,  if  only  for 
a  preliminary  visit,  because  the  study  of  fourteenth 
century  glass  cannot  be  satisfactorily  concluded  with- 
out viewing  the  splendidly  complete  exhibition  of  it 
in  the  church  of  St.  Ouen.  Here  we  shall  see  for 
ourselves  why  Rouen  glass  was  then  so  highly  es- 
teemed, not  only  in  France,  but  also  across  the  Chan- 
nel. We  referred  before  to  the  fact  that  after  Exeter 
Cathedral  had  in  1302-4  purchased  glass  for  its  win- 
dows and  it  became  necessary  in  1317  to  procure  an- 
other large  quantity,  it  was  to  Rouen  that  they  sent 
for  it,  a  significant  tribute  to  the  skill  and  repute  of 

144 


FOURTEENTH  AND  EIETEENTH 

the  Eouen  craftsmen.  Ample  witness  to  the  causes 
for  the  Englishmen's  admiration  is  aiforded  by  the 
justly  famous  fourteenth  century  glazing  of  St. 
Ouen.  It  is  best  to  approach  and  enter  it  by  the 
south  portal,  for,  although  a  very  graceful  and  sym» 
metrical  Gothic  edifice,  the  west  front  is  unfortu- 
nately of  a  much  later  period  than  the  rest  of  the 
structure,  and  is  noticeably  lacking  in  lightness  and 
beauty.  Notwithstanding  nearly  all  the  windows  are 
glazed  in  colour,  the  brilliancy  of  the  lighting  strikes 
us  as  soon  as  we  step  inside  and  is  especially  notice- 
able if  we  have  but  freshly  come  from  the  inspection 
of  interiors  whose  light  has  been  dimmed  by  thir- 
teenth century  glass.  It  is  evident  that  the  St.  Ouen 
windows  were  glazed  at  a  moment  when  the  reaction 
from  the  sombre  beauties  of  the  thirteenth  century 
was  at  its  height.  Undoubtedly  strict  injunctions 
were  laid  upon  the  designer  of  the  glass  that  he  should 
so  complete  his  task  as  to  leave  the  church  well 
lighted.  In  complying  with  his  instructions  he  not 
only  has  used  a  great  deal  of  white  glass,  but  also  has 
availed  himself  of  the  lighter  tones  of  such  colours 
as  his  pictures  required.  Nowhere  else  will  we  find 
so  complete  a  series  of  patriarchs,  saints,  apostles, 
bishops  and  abbots.  They  are  strung  out  around  us 
on  every  side  and  provide  a  wealth  of  material  for 
investigation.  Perhaps  one  might  wish  that  they  had 
been  depicted  in  stronger  hues,  especially  as  they 
range  about  the  clerestory  on  a  white  background, 

145 


STAIXED  GLASS  TOUES  IN  FEANCE 

with  white  glass  in  the  triforium  mndows  below 
them.  On  the  other  hand  there  is  a  possibility  that 
if  the  colours  had  been  stronger,  the  contrast  be- 
tween them  and  the  background  might  have  proved 
disagreeable.  In  passing  it  is  interesting  to  note  that 
all  the  abbots  are  arrayed  in  blue  robes,  but  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  scheme  of  colour  just  mentioned, 
the  blue  is  very  light  in  tint.  Below,  in  the  choir, 
and  around  the  transepts,  we  find  canopy  windows, 
but  there,  too,  their  effectiveness  is  lessened  by  too 
many  panels  of  white.  In  the  nave  the  large  figures 
in  the  windows  of  the  upper  range  have  much  more 
colour  than  those  in  the  lower,  and  the  inscription 
below  each  is  in  such  bold  lettering  as  to  permit  of 
each  letter  being  separately  leaded  in.  The  north 
transept  contains  a  fine  rose  window,  but,  unfortu- 
nately, in  accordance  with  the  conventions  of  that 
epoch,  the  figures  radiate  from  the  centre  like  slices 
in  a  pie.  The  result  is  a  wheel  effect  and  not  that 
of  a  great  blossoming  rose.  The  glass,  not  only  in 
this  rose  but  also  in  the  one  of  the  south  transept,  is 
sixteenth  century  and  will  be  described  later.  The 
regularity  and  completeness  of  the  architecture  of 
this  church  is  accentuated  by  the  long  series  of  per- 
sonages that  decorate  its  windows.  It  is  but  natural 
that  there  results  the  symmetrical  beauty  which  al- 
ways follows  the  consistent  carrying  into  effect  of  a 
well-thought-out  plan.  The  desire  of  the  architect 
for  a  well-lighted  interior  has  also  been  everywhere 

146 


FOUKTEENTH  AND  FIFTEENTH 

carefully  observed.  As  a  whole,  the  effect  of  the  win* 
dows  must  undoubtedly  be  admired,  but  on  the  other 
hand,  if  we  were  to  be  denied  the  warmth  that  a 
little  additional  colour  would  have  given,  we  ought  at 
least  to  have  found  as  a  compensation  that  soft  sil- 
very light  which  the  best  glass  of  this  period  affords, 
but  which  is  here  rendered  impossible  by  the  excessive 
use  of  white  panes. 

The  CathedraFs  fourteenth  century  glass,  while 
not  presenting  the  splendid  ensemble  that  one  sees 
at  St.  Ouen,  is  nevertheless  not  only  instructive  in 
its  variety,  but  is  also  so  placed  as  to  exhibit  itself 
to  the  greatest  advantage.  It  is  to  be  found  in  the 
Lady  Chapel,  the  choir  clerestory,  the  north  tran- 
sept, and  the  north  nave  aisle.  The  two  large  win- 
dows on  each  side  of  the  Lady  Chapel  are  so  wide  as 
to  permit  of  four  lancets  in  each.  The  treatment  is 
the  same  throughout:  a  broad  coloured  border  en- 
closes a  grisaille  field,  across  the  middle  third  of 
which  is  a  coloured  figure  under  a  canopy,  which  of 
course  has  not  yet  acquired  a  pedestal.  Evidence  of 
careful  attention  to  detail  is  seen  in  the  borders, 
which  are  not  only  very  elaborate,  but  are  also  en- 
livened in  one  case  by  a  number  of  little  green  birds, 
in  another  by  bro^vn  squirrels,  and  in  a  third  by 
white  angels  playing  musical  instruments.  This  fea- 
ture is  but  rarely  met.  The  modern  glass  in  the  three 
easterly  windows  is  rendered  harmless  by  the  height 
of  the  altar  rising  in  front  of  them.    Broad  coloured 

147 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

borders  are  also  found  around  the  clerestory,  but 
there  each  enclosed  surface  of  grisaille  has -to  rely 
for  its  adornment  upon  five  round  blue  bosses  sur- 
charged with  golden  sunbursts.  The  three  eastern- 
most panels,  however,  bear  large  coloured  figures, 
the  central  one  being  Christ  on  the  Cross.  The  rose 
in  the  north  transept  is  of  the  wheel  type,  and  is  too 
pale,  because  of  the  excessive  use  of  colourless  glass, 
especially  in  the  radiating  arms.  At  the  end  of  each 
arm  and  also  at  other  points  are  introduced  medal- 
lions of  mosaic  pattern.  The  light  is  admitted  in 
accordance  with  the  conventions,  but  the  contrast  is 
too  great  between  the  plain  and  the  mosaic  panes. 
This  same  contrast  is  even  more  unpleasant  in  the 
chapel  just  at  the  junction  of  this  transept  and  the 
choir  ambulatory  where  a  few  mosaic  medallions  are 
frankly  placed  on  a  light  field,  without  even  the 
plausible  excuse  therefor  which  is  afforded  in  the 
rose  above  by  certain  round  apertures  especially  suited 
for  medallions.  The  artist  is  evidently  still  groping 
for  a  satisfactory  adjustment  of  his  design  and  colour 
to  the  demand  for  light.  This  period  is  also  exempli- 
fied, although  in  a  different  way,  in  the  second,  fifth, 
sixth  and  eighth  windows  in  the  north  nave  aisle. 
There,  across  the  lower  part  of  the  light  quarries  in 
each  of  the  four  lancets,  is  placed  a  coloured  figure 
behind  whom  hangs  a  curtain  of  contrasting  colour, 
but  entirely  lacking  canopy  framing;  each  lancet  is 
surrounded  by  a  gay  border.     This  treatment  is  not 

148 


rOUKTEENTH  AND  EIFTEENTH 

so  pleasing  as  that  just  observed  in  the  Lady  Chapel, 
for  the  nave  figures  lack  the  finished  appearance 
there  lent  by  the  canopy  framing.  The  small  cur- 
tain is  better  than  no  background  at  all,  but  we  are 
still  evidently  in  transition. 

Of  the  fifteenth  century  glass  in  the  cathedral, 
but  little  can  be  said ;  that  in  the  south  transept  rose 
is  good,  while  the  chapel  leading  from  that  transept 
to  the  choir  ambulatory  contains  two  lofty-pinnacled 
canopy  windows  that  would  be  excellent  if  they  were 
not  marred  by  their  upper  panes  being  filled  in  with 
disjointed  fragments  of  thirteenth  century  medal- 
lions. 

At  St.  Maclou  (see  page  251)  ten  out  of  the  twelve 
windows  in  the  semi-circle  of  four  chapels  at  the 
east  end  of  the  choir  contain  a  softly  lovely  set  of  fif- 
teenth century  canopies  whose  lofty  and  intricate  pin- 
nacles are  delicately  outlined  against  backgrounds  of 
lilac,  blue,  green,  etc.,  always  in  the  lighter  shades. 
The  lower  parts  of  these  windows  have  not  fared  so 
well  as  the  upper  portions,  but  they  have  not  been 
damaged  enough  to  detract  from  the  general  effect. 
So  light  are  most  of  the  tones  used,  that  one  fears 
the  ensemble  will  appear  too  pale  when  viewed  from 
the  proper  distance;  but  such  is  not  the  case,  thanks 
to  the  admirable  harmony  between  the  soft  colours 
and  the  dainty  canopies. 

An  occasional  fifteenth  century  panel  is  to  be  met 
with  elsewhere  in  Rouen  (i.e.,  the  westernmost  in  the 

149 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  i:Nr  FRANCE 

north  wall  at  St.  Vincent),  but  they  are  neither  suf- 
ficiently numerous  nor  noteworthy  to  be  cited  here. 
We  shall  carry  away  as  our  chief  souvenirs  of  this 
preliminary  visit  to  Rouen,  memories  of  the  com- 
plete glazing  of  St.  Ouen,  the  varied  exhibition  of 
contemporary  transitional  types  found  at  the  Cathe- 
dral, and  St.  Maclou's  delicately  tinted  half -circle  of 
eastern  chapels. 


150 


BOURGES 

When  we  visited  the  Cathedral  of  Bourges  to  in- 
spect the  glass  of  the  thirteenth  century  (see  page  42) 
we  referred  to  that  of  the  fifteenth  which  fills  the  win- 
dows of  the  nave  chapels.  It  is  to  inspect  these  that 
we  now  make  our  second  visit.  It  is  very  usual  for 
chapels  to  radiate  from  around  the  choir  of  a  church, 
but  rarer  to  find  them  introduced  into  the  side  walls 
of  the  nave  after  the  completion  of  the  edifice.  Per- 
haps it  would  not  prove  so  eminently  satisfactory  at 
Bourges  if  it  were  not  for  the  fact  that  the  cathedral 
lacks  transepts;  but  whatever  the  reason,  the  result 
in  this  instance  is  admirable.  The  window  apertures 
of  these  nave  chapels  indicate  that  they  were  con- 
structed at  a  later  period  than  the  rest  of  the  cathe- 
dral, for  instead  of  the  single  broad  windows  which 
we  find  elsewhere  about  the  interior,  the  lighting  of 
each  chapel  is  effected  by  a  group  of  lancets  bound 
together  to  form  one  very  wide  window  space,  the 
lancets  being  separated  only  by  narrow  stone  mul- 
lions.  To  this  architectural  indication  of  date  is 
added  that  of  the  glass,  which  is  among  the  best  that 
is  kno"vvn  of  the  fifteenth  century  canopy  type.     The 

151 


STAINED  GLASS  TOUKS  I:N"  FKANCE 

glazing  of  these  chapels  varies  greatly  in  excellence, 
but  is  always  good.  In  almost  every  case  the  win- 
dows consist  of  four  lancets.  We  note  here  the  cus- 
tom of  placing  upon  the  window  a  small  kneeling 
figure  of  the  donor,  and  from  contemporary  paintings 
we  are  able  to  affirm  that  the  glass  artist  made  these 
portraits  as  perfect  as  his  skill  permitted.  In  the 
chapel  given  by  Pierre  Trousseau  not  only  do  we  find 
the  donor  but  also  his  sister  and  his  two  brothers. 
This  tendency  to  introduce  various  members  of  the 
family  increased  steadily  in  vogue,  so  much  so  that 
in  the  sixteenth  century  we  shall  often  find  two  or 
three  generations  kneeling  in  a  row  in  the  lower 
panels.  In  the  first  two  chapels  on  the  left  the  per- 
sonages hold  in  their  hands  long  winding  scrolls  on 
which  there  is  writing.  This  form  of  decoration  was 
also  much  elaborated  in  the  next  century,  and  very 
successfully,  too.  But  the  greatest  of  all  fifteenth 
century  chapels  is  the  most  easterly  one  on  the  north, 
just  at  the  point  where  the  choir  chapels  succeed  to 
those  of  the  nave.  It  was  given  by  Jacques  Coeur, 
the  merchant  prince  of  Bourges,  who  became  treas- 
urer of  France  under  Charles  VII.  It  is  as  beauti- 
ful in  detail  and  ensemble  as  a  canopy  window  has 
ever  been  made.  The  muUions  separating  its  four 
lancets  are  not  allowed  to  interfere  with  the  one  great 
subject  that  extends  over  them  all.  Across  the  top  of 
this  picture  is  carried  the  most  elaborate  Gothic  dome 
ever  attempted  in  glass  painting.     The  ceiling  be- 

152 


FOURTEENTH  AND  FIFTEENTH 

neath  it  is  blue  sprinkled  with  golden  stars,  and  the 
groining  of  the  arches  which  support  it  is  golden  also. 
The  robes  of  the  figures,  beautiful  in  combination  of 
colour,  are  elaborated  to  the  last  degree  of  decorative 
detail.  Notice  along  the  edge  of  the  kneeling  saint's 
robe  a  row  of  simulated  embroidery  panels  gay  with 
colour  and  gold.  It  is  clear  that  Jacques  Coeur  em- 
ployed upon  this  window  the  best  glass  artist  to  be 
found,  just  as  he  must  have  engaged  the  most  skill- 
ful architects  and  builders  for  his  palace,  to  the 
glories  of  which  we  alluded  in  our  thirteenth  cen- 
tury pilgrimage.  This  window  and  that  dwelling 
stamp  him  as  one  of  the  most  intelligently  appre- 
ciative patrons  of  the  arts  which  his  time  produced. 
The  fact  that  the  cathedral  is  built  upon  the  edge 
of  the  old  Roman  walls  makes  possible  a  well-lighted 
crypt  instead  of  the  gloomy  cavern  generally  found 
beneath  the  choirs  of  most  cathedrals.  In  the  em- 
brasures at  the  eastern  end  of  this  lower  church  or 
crypt  have  been  placed  a  set  of  fifteenth  century  win- 
dows taken  from  the  old  Ste.  Chapelle  of  Bourges, 
each  consisting  of  four  canopies.  Under  the  two 
central  ones  of  each  stand  the  coloured  figures  in  the 
usual  way,  but  under  the  two  outer  canopies  the 
figures  are  partly  concealed  behind  simulated  archi- 
tectural columns.  This  unique  arrangement  serves 
to  render  the  glass  architecture  all  the  more  con- 
vincing. It  would  have  been  well  if  other  towns  had 
followed  the  example  set  by  Bourges  in  thus  preserv- 

153 


STAII^ED  GLASS  TOUES  IN  FKANCE 

ing  in  some  storehouse  like  a  cathedral  the  glass  of 
other  edifices  which  had  to  be  destroyed. 

If  we  travel  by  automobile  from  Bourges  to  Cler- 
mont-Ferrand, we  will  probably  elect  to  pass  through 
Xevers  and  Moulins.  We  have  already  advised  the 
railway  traveller  not  to  alight  at  Moulins  and  he  will 
probably  not  do  so  at  Nevers.  About  the  latter  we 
will  say  but  a  word.  Although  the  cathedral  has  a 
special  interest  in  that  it  is  one  of  the  two  churches 
in  France  having  an  apse  at  its  western  as  well  as 
its  eastern  end  (the  other  is  at  Besan^on),  it  need 
not  detain  him,  because  it  has  no  old  glass.  If  he  de- 
cides to  stop  to  look  at  the  cathedral,  he  should  not 
fail  to  see  the  old  palace  of  the  Dukes  of  Bourbon, 
with  the  story  of  Lohengrin  carved  by  Jean  Goujon 
on  the  outside  of  its  graceful  spiral  staircase. 


154- 


MOULINS 

If  our  pilgrim  in  going  south  from  Bourges  to 
Clermont-Ferrand  passed  through  ^N'evers,  this  slight 
detour  has  brought  Moulins  right  upon  his  road.  In 
this  event  he  must  avail  himself  of  the  opportunity 
to  visit  the  cathedral,  because  its  glass,  although  not 
of  sufficient  importance  to  demand  breaking  a  railway 
journey,  is  distinctly  worth  seeing  if  he  is  passing  the 
door.  Besides,  the  sacristy  of  this  church  contains 
the  splendid  fifteenth  century  triptych,  so  long  at- 
tributed to  Ghirlandajo,  but  now  conceded  to  have 
been  the  work  of  an  unknovni  Moulins  painter  who,  for 
want  of  more  particular  information,  is  called  the 
Master  of  ^loulins.  Around  the  choir  ambulatory 
there  are  a  few  canopy  windows  of  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury. Most  of  them  are  good,  but  one  on  the  north 
side  is  quite  remarkable  and  should  be  particularly 
noticed.  The  scene  depicted  is  the  Crucifixion  and 
the  background  seems  to  be  of  a  deep  ruby.  Closer 
inspection  shows  it  to  consist  of  a  multitude  of  tiny 
red  angels  so  crowded  together  as  to  give  the  effect, 
when  viewed  from  a  little  distance,  of  a  richly 
damasked  surface.     The  result  is  as  satisfactory  as 

155 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IIST  FRANCE 

the  method  of  obtaining  it  is  original.  There  are 
also  some  good  sixteenth  century  windows  around  the 
choir  which  are  easily  distinguishable  because  the 
architecture  of  their  canopies  is  so  obviously  Renais- 
sance and  so  far  removed  from  Gothic. 

As  the  automobilist  or  bicyclist  passes  through  this 
town,  he  Avill  be  struck  by  the  attractive  local  fea- 
ture of  large  diamond-shaped  patterns  in  black  or 
dark  bricks  on  the  red  brick  walls  of  the  houses.  The 
effect  is  most  decorative. 


156 


EIOM 

On  out  trip  south  from  Moulins  we  come  upon 
Riom,  a  quiet  little  place  living  on  its  memories  of 
mediEC'val  importance  and  treasuring  within  the  shady 
circle  of  its  wall-replacing  boulevards  many  fine 
houses  and  other  testimonials  to  its  former  wealth 
and  importance.  In  an  old-world  country  like  France 
it  is  not  unusual  to  find  striking  contrasts  between 
those  parts  of  a  city  which  have  been  absolutely 
modernised  and  other  portions  still  preserving  their 
ancient  appearance.  Between  neighbouring  towns, 
however,  it  is  not  often  that  we  shall  notice  so  start- 
ling a  difi^ercnce  as  is  effected  by  the  14  kilometres 
separating  Riom  from  Clermont-Ferrand.  It  seems 
impossible,  while  in  the  quiet  streets  of  this  town,  to 
realise  that  we  are  so  near  the  busy  city  of  Clermont- 
Ferrand,  active  in  many  modern  manufacturing  in- 
dustries, a  railway  centre,  in  short,  a  distinctly  twen- 
tieth century  community.  Geographically  those  few 
kilometres  are  only  a  step,  but  historically  they  will 
transport  us  four  or  five  centuries.  Here  we  are  in 
an  atmosphere  not  later  than  the  sixteenth  century, 
although  for  glass  lovers  the  interest  of  the  place 

157 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN"  FRANCE 

goes  back  still  another.  The  fifteenth  century  fea- 
ture which  attracts  us  most  in  Riom  is  the  Ste. 
Chapelle,  which  now  serves  as  the  chapel  for  the 
Palais  de  Justice,  through  which  we  must  pass  to 
reach  it.  The  practical  hand  of  the  altering  archi- 
tect has  fallen  heavily  upon  this  beautiful  chapel. 
In  1822  he  took  away  its  lower  part  in  order  to  gain 
room  for  the  Court  of  Appeals  which  is  just  below. 
He  graciously  allowed  the  upper  half  to  remain  a 
chapel,  but,  of  course,  the  introduction  of  a  new 
floor  at  half  the  height  of  the  original  building  caused 
the  destruction  of  the  lower  portions  of  the  seven  fine 
windows.  Each  has  four  large  lancets  and  is  a  re- 
markable example  of  the  highly-developed  canopy 
type  of  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth  century.  Upon 
these  are  displayed  a  great  company  of  richly  at- 
tired personages,  affording  us  a  rare  opportunity  to 
observe  the  dress  of  the  upper  classes  of  that  day. 
The  jewels,  furs  and  other  decorative  details  are  not 
more  minutely  studied  than  are  the  architectural 
features  of  the  canopies.  Each  figure  holds  in  its 
hands  a  long  paper  scroll  upon  which  there  is  writ- 
ing. These  scrolls  form  a  most  effective  and  agree- 
able feature,  and  their  use  as  a  form  of  decoration 
was  frequently  seen  during  that  century.  It  appears  at 
its  best  in  the  Tree  of  Life  rose  in  the  south  tran- 
sept at  Carcassone.  The  four  central  panels  at  the 
bottom  contain  the  donors,  always  an  attractive  de- 
tail if  only  they  are  modest  in  size  and  placing.   We 

158 


mm' 
mum 

tM 

m 


m 


II?  It 
lie  11 

i^«^i 

^"^^^ 

wmm 


mmiAm 


IP. 


'I  III m  t 


15TH  CENTURY  "CANOPY"  WINDOW,  SAINTE 
CHAPELLE,  RIOM. 

Gothic  details  carefully  elaborated.  Curtains  suspended 
across  backs  0/  niches  give  the  artist  another  colour,  while 
white  winding  scrolls  assist  ca7iof>y  portions  in  admitting  light. 
Donors  are  here  more  important  but  not  yet  intrusive,  as  seen 
later. 


FOURTEENTH  AND  FIFTEENTH 

should  try  to  see  these  windows  on  a  rainy  or  grey 
day.  It  must  be  remembered  that  we  no  longer  view 
them  from  below  as  their  artist  originally  intended, 
because  the  action  of  the  architect  in  1822  has 
brought  us  up  on  a  level  with  them.  The  chapel  is 
so  small  and  the  windows  so  large  that  if  the  day 
is  sunny  we  are  not  able  to  withdraw  a  sufficient  dis- 
tance to  readjust  the  perspective,  and  therefore  a 
dull  day,  by  softening  the  light,  greatly  increases 
their  charm. 


159 


CLERMONT-FERKAOT) 

The  situation  of  this  city  is  as  beautiful  as  it  is 
remarkable.  Imagine  a  long,  fertile  plain  from 
which  rises  suddenly  a  great  range  of  hills.  The 
plain  is  monotonously  flat  and  the  hills  are  abruptly 
steep,  while  higher  than  all  their  heights  towers  the 
round-topped  mountain  of  Puy-de-Dome,  which  gives 
its  name  to  this  department  of  France.  Nestling 
just  below  the  hills,  upon  the  extreme  western  edge 
of  the  level  coimtry,  lies  the  vigorous  and  progressive 
city  of  Clermont-Ferrand,  whose  activities  and  com- 
merce are  fed  by  roads  leading  in  every  direction 
across  the  broad  expanse  of  the  fertile  district  of 
Limagne.  From  the  top  of  the  cathedral  tower  the 
view  is  most  striking  and  delightful.  To  the  east, 
as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  stretches  out  a  long  vista 
of  cultivated  fields,  but  when  we  turn  to  the  west 
the  change  is  positively  startling.  Hill  is  piled  on 
hill  and  mountain  on  mountain,  and  all  so  near  at 
hand  as  to  make  us  feel  that,  with  the  naked  eye, 
we  can  discern  figures  moving  on  the  top  of  the  Puy- 
de-Dome,  whose  knob-like  crest  towers  proudly  above 
its    surrounding    and    supporting    heights.     There 

160 


FOURTEENTH  AND  FIFTEENTH 

are  but  few  views  like  this  in  France,  for  it  is  rare 
to  find  so  bold  a  range  of  bills  rising  so  sharply  from 
so  wide  a  plain. 

After  descending  the  many  steps  which  take  ns 
back  into  the  cathedral,  we  shall  soon  be  convinced 
that  if  most  of  the  thirteenth  century  glass  towns  had 
not  been  so  accessible  to  Paris,  a  visit  to  this  cathe- 
dral must  have  been  suggested  in  order  to  see  the 
fine  set  of  medallion  windows  that  in  the  apse  chapels 
form  a  screen  of  gleaming  sombre  colour  all  around 
the  choir — a  screen  so  complete  as  to  produce  that 
efl'ect  of  glistening  caverns  which  we  have  found  so 
beautiful  in  the  glass  of  that  century.  Clermont- 
Ferrand  was  left  oif  the  thirteenth  century  list  part- 
ly because  of  its  distance  from  Paris,  and  partly  be- 
cause, if  that  distance  had  been  overcome,  there  are 
no  other  towns  in  its  vicinity  noteworthy  for  their 
thirteenth  century  glass.  Now  that  we  are  consider- 
ing the  glass  of  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  cen- 
turies, distance  from  Paris  no  longer  proves  an  argu- 
ment against  this  visit,  because  that  period  cannot 
be  seen  unless  one  is  willing  to  go  far  afield.  Be- 
sides, Clermont-Ferrand  fits  nicely  into  a  series  of 
towns  rich  in  glass  of  these  centuries,  so  we  have  every 
reason  for  the  visit  at  this  juncture.  The  cathedral 
is  a  noble  example  of  Gothic,  the  spacious  nave  being 
separated  from  the  choir  by  two  transepts,  each  of 
which  possesses  a  fine  rose  window  of  the  fourteenth 
century  with  a  gallery  of  small  lancets  below.    These 

161 


STAi:t^ED  GLASS  TOUES  IN  FRANCE 

rose  windows  seem  thrust  too  high  up  against  the 
roof;  in  fact,  if  it  were  not  for  the  row  of  lancets 
below,  the  eifect  would  be  unpleasant.  This  method 
of  placing  them  in  the  wall  is,  however,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  best  traditions  of  that  time.  The  glass 
panels  which  go  to  make  up  the  rose  windows  radiate 
in  distinct  lines  from  the  centre.  The  lancets  below 
the  south  rose  are  filled  with  diaper  in  rich  colour, 
while  across  them,  as  if  to  bind  them  together,  are 
draAvn  two  bands  of  white  rosettes.  The  lancets 
under  the  north  rose  have  circles  and  spots  of  colour 
on  a  grisaille  ground.  Of  the  glass  that  once  adorned 
the  nave,  practically  nothing  remains  but  the  small 
roses  at  the  tops  of  the  windows,  but  these  are  quite 
attractive.  It  is  to  the  choir  that  we  must  turn  for 
the  greatest  charm  of  the  interior.  The  sober  rich- 
ness of  the  thirteenth  century  panels  in  the  chapels 
below  is  admirably  set  off  and  accompanied  by  the 
welMighted  clerestory  above.  Around  this  clerestory 
appears  a  row  of  large  fifteenth  century  figures  in 
colour  framed  in  canopies  upon  a  background  of 
grisaille  quarries  (diamond-shaped  panes).  Per- 
haps there  is  a  little  too  much  contrast  between 
the  figures  and  the  quarries,  but  the  effect  is 
good  and  certainly  the  light  is  admitted  in  a 
more  satisfactory  way  than  at  Chartres,  where 
the  monks,  to  secure  more  light,  replaced  the  rich 
borders  of  the  early  choir  clerestory  windows  by 
white  glass.     As  seen  from  the  nave  or  from  the 

162 


FOUKTEENTH  AND    FIFTEENTH 

transepts,  the  choir  is  most  pleasing,  a  warm  half 
light  below  and  a  brilliant  clerestory  above.  In  the 
two  easternmost  panels  of  the  latter  the  artist  shows 
us  how  it  was  sometimes  possible  to  make  one  large 
picture  by  the  juxtaposition  of  two  or  more,  which 
at  first  glance  seem  entirely  distinct.  On  the  left 
is  the  Virgin  Mary  in  what  appears  to  be  a  large  oval 
frame.  On  the  right,  and  facing  her,  is  a  bust  of  the 
Father  emerging  from  clouds.  Although  at  first  these 
two  panels  seem  entirely  separate,  a  comparison  of 
the  subject  of  each  indicates  that  taken  together  they 
form  a  picture  of  the  Annunciation.  This  method 
was  not  uncommon.  At  Tours,  three  eastern  medal- 
lions of  the  clerestory,  although  seemingly  distinct, 
really  combine  to  form  the  Last  Supper.  We  should 
not  fail  to  notice  at  Clermont-Ferrand  how  very  har- 
moniously the  styles  of  different  centuries  assist  each 
other  in  producing  a  well-glazed  interior.  We  do  not 
find  the  conflict  in  effect  which  exists  at  Bourges. 
In  fact,  there  are  but  few  places  where  glass  epochs 
are  combined  in  such  an  attractively^  unobtrusive 
manner. 


163 


EYMOUTIERS 

When  from  the  top  of  Clermont-Ferrand  Cathe- 
dral we  viewed  the  mountains  of  the  Puy-de-Dome 
•range,  it  seemed  not  only  that  anyone  planning  a 
trip  across  them  would  have  a  difficult  climb,  but 
that  any  idea  of  going  by  train  was  an  impossibility. 
Modern  engineering  skill,  however,  overcomes  all 
obstacles,  stops  at  nothing,  and  the  railway  awaits 
our  command  to  take  us  over  the  mountains  to  Ey- 
montiers  and  Limoges.  The  grades  are  so  steep  that 
no  expresses  are  attempted  and  therefore  we  have 
before  us  a  tedious  five-hour  trip  on  a  way  train. 
The  first  and  the  last  parts  of  this  journey  are  very 
delightful  for  the  automobilist  or  bicyclist,  because 
of  the  views  revealed  from  time  to  time  by  the  wind- 
ings of  the  road.  More  than  half  the  trip,  however, 
is  quite  uninteresting,  as  the  way  lies  through  clefts 
in  the  kills  at  too  great  an  elevation  for  much  foliage 
or  verdure.  When  we  descend  to  the  village  of  Ey- 
moutiers  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountains,  all  the 
difficulties  and  tedium  of  our  climb  will  be  forgotten. 
There  the  traveller  will  find  a  charming  little  inn 
by  the  river,  where  he  can  have  a  delicious  repast 

164 


FOUETEENTH  AND  EIFTEEXTH 

of  trout  from  the  neighbouring  mountain  stream. 
He  will  be  served  on  a  cosy  terrace,  which  is  sheltered 
from  the  sun  by  vines  and  cooled  by  a  tinkling  foun- 
tain shooting  into  the  air  a  slender  spray  of  icy 
water.  As  a  glass  shrine,  Eymoutiers  is  one  of  the 
most  delightful  that  our  pilgrim  will  meet  on  his 
travels  and  one  to  which  his  memory  will  often  pleas- 
antly revert.  He  need  not  look  about  for  a  cathe- 
dral or  for  any  great  religious  edifice.  Instead,  he 
will  find  a  quaint,  oddly-shaped  church  whose  older 
western  half  is  so  dimly  lighted  by  its  few  deeply- 
embrasured  windows  as  to  provide  an  excellent  foil 
for  the  silvery  light  of  the  fourteen  that  illumine  the 
eastern  half.  We  cannot  properly  call  it  the  choir 
end,  because  the  church  seems  to  have  three  choirs 
placed  side  by  side,  opening  into  each  other,  the 
central  one  extending  a  little  more  to  the  east  than  its 
two  sisters.  At  the  Ste.  Chapelle  in  Paris  we  have 
observed  that  the  deeply-hued  medallion  windows  of 
the  thirteenth  century  were  not  suited  to  a  small  in- 
terior— that  their  materials  and  construction  re- 
quired that  they  be  viewed  from  the  greater  distance 
afforded  within  a  cathedral  in  order  to  yield  to  the 
observer  a  properly  combined  glow  from  their  warmth 
of  colour.  On  the  other  hand,  at  Eymoutiers,  wo 
shall  learn  that  the  canopy  window  is  as  beautiful  in 
its  soft  lighting  of  a  small  interior  as  at  Bourges  it  is 
appropriate  in  the  lower  windows  of  a  great  nave, 
or  at  Quimper  in  its  delicate  illumination  of  a  splen- 

165 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

did  clerestory.  Before  we  have  been  long  in  the 
little  Eymoutiers  church  we  shall  begin  to  notice  that 
the  later  windows  in  the  central  eastern  bay  have 
much  more  colour  than  the  earlier  ones  in  the  right 
and  left  ones.  In  these  two  side  bays  the  figures  have 
only  one  colour  besides  white  in  their  costumes,  and 
but  one  also  in  the  backgrounds ;  while  on  the  other 
hand,  in  the  central  bay  the  figures  have  never  less 
than  two  colours  in  their  costumes ;  and  further,  that 
besides  the  one  in  their  backgrounds,  an  additional 
colour  is  there  contributed  by  a  curtain  stretched 
across  the  niches,  shoulder-high,  behind  the  figures. 
Then,  too,  these  later  figures  in  the  central  bay 
have  coloured  halos,  and  the  little  ceilings  under  the 
canopies  beneath  which  they  stand  are  brightly 
tinted.  The  local  authorities  date  the  glazing  of  the 
central  bay  from  the  latter  part  of  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury and  that  of  the  two  side  ones  from  the  middle. 
The  difi'erence  in  the  colour  schemes  of  the  two  sets 
confirms  this  dating.  This  same  marked  difference 
in  the  number  of  colours  exists  at  Quimper,  where 
the  choir  windows  glazed  in  the  first  years  of  the  fif- 
teenth century  have  but  few  tints,  while,  on  the 
other  hand,  there  are  many  in  those  of  the  nave  which 
date  from  the  latter  part  of  that  century.  As  accen- 
tuating this  enrichment  of  the  artist's  palette  which 
the  passage  of  time  seemed  to  effect,  it  is  noticeable 
that  the  early  tracery  lightings  of  the  two  side  bays 
are  very  light  in  tone,  being  mostly  white  or  some 

166 


FOURTEENTH  AND  FIFTEENTH 

faint  hue  or  yellow  stain,  while  the  later  traceries 
of  the  central  bay  contain  deep  reds  and  blues,  etc.  A 
close  examination  of  these  windows  repays  us  by  re- 
vealing several  quaint  manifestations  of  the  strict 
adherence  to  tradition  for  which  the  mediaeval  glass 
artists  are  noted.  Contemporary  conventions  de- 
manded that  St.  Christopher  have  a  tessellated  pave- 
ment as  the  floor  of  his  canopy,  but  the  legend  re- 
quires that  he  must  stand  in  water,  so  we  find  not 
only  the  pavement  but  also  upon  it  a  semi-circular 
pool  of  water  in  which  the  saint  stands.  So,  too,  the 
Virgin  Mary  is  poised  upon  a  half  moon-shaped  cloud, 
neatly  balanced  on  the  conventional  pavement. 
Though  these  little  touches  make  us  moderns  smile, 
they  were  doubtless  at  the  time  approved  as  show- 
ing that  the  artist  was  well  schooled.  Our  reader 
should  make  every  effort  to  visit  Eymoutiers,  for 
there  he  wdll  truly  feel  the  delicate  charm  of  the 
canopy  window.  The  church  is  glazed  throughout  in 
one  style  and  as  a  type  of  perfection  will  linger  in 
his  memory  in  much  the  same  way  as  Ste.  Foy  at 
Conches,  which  we  will  visit  later  for  its  sixteenth 
century  glass.  The  canopy  window,  when  properly 
placed,  yields  a  far  softer  beauty  than  any  glass  can 
show  in  the  century  before  or  the  century  that  came 
after,  and  it  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  so  few  of 
them  survived  the  stress  of  those  battle-troubled 
days. 

Before  we  start  on  our  way  over  rolling  hills  to 
167 


STAINED  GLASS  TOUES  m  FEANCE 

Limoges,  we  must  not  fail  to  observe  in  Eymoutiers 
a  certain  quaint  custom  of  building  distinctive  of 
that  town.  The  topmost  story  of  almost  all  the  dwell- 
ing-houses is  not  walled  up  on  the  street  side.  This 
open  top  floor  is  used  to  store  fuel.  Under  the  eaves 
there  is  a  pulley  by  which  the  bundles  of  wood  are 
pulled  up  from  the  street  by  a  block  and  tackle  and 
swung  in  imder  the  roof. 


168 


LIMOGES 

After  a  charming  ride  of  fifty  kilometres  from 
Eymoutiers,  we  arrive  at  Limoges,  sloping  pictur- 
esquely up  from  the  banks  of  the  winding  river 
Vienne.  We  elsewhere  set  out  our  reasons  for  believ- 
ing that  the  Byzantine  influence  upon  the  beginnings 
of  French  art  was  first  and  most  potently  exercised 
at  Limoges,  the  cradle  of  French  enamel.  After  re- 
maining dormant  for  centuries,  the  enameller's  art 
has  again  been  quickened  into  life  in  its  old  home. 
Its  younger  sister,  stained  glass,  however,  never  seems 
to  have  returned  to  its  birthplace ;  in  fact,  if  it  were 
not  necessary  to  pass  through  Limoges  on  our  way 
north  from  Eymoutiers,  we  would  not  have  included 
it  in  this  trip.  While  the  cathedral  contains  some 
fourteenth  century  glass,  it  lacks  sufficient  quantity 
or  quality  to  repay  one  coming  from  a  distance  to  see 
it.  From  Eymoutiers  our  route  takes  us  through 
Limoges,  and  what  it  can  show  of  glass,  we,  like  con- 
scientious pilgrims,  must  not  fail  to  inspect.  l!^ow 
for  the  cathedral!  Architecturally  it  is  very  satis- 
factory. Just  inside  the  west  door  of  the  nave  there 
is  a  finely-carved  stone  jube  or  arch,  in  fact  so  good 

169 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

is  it  that  we  shall  not  see  a  better  except  in  the  little 
church  of  La  Madeleine  at  Troyes,  Or  in  St.  Etienne- 
du-Mont  in  Paris.  Around  the  clerestory  of  the  choir 
are  thirteen  double  lancet  windows,  presented  in  the 
fourteenth  century  by  Bishop  Pierre  Rodier.  Un- 
fortunately, only  two  of  them  (those  of  Ste.  Valerie 
and  St.  Martial)  are  preserved  intact,  but  the  others 
have  been  so  judiciously  restored  that  we  have  a  very 
good  idea  of  how  they  originally  looked.  They  con- 
sist of  large  coloured  figures  in  canopies,  surrounded, 
however,  by  too  much  grisaille.  The  re\ailsion  from 
too  little  light  in  the  preceding  century  sometimes 
produced  the  curse  of  too  much  in  the  fourteenth. 
This  placing  of  subjects  upon  a  light  surface  can- 
not help  but  cause  an  unpleasant  contrast  between  its 
soft  tone  and  the  stronger  colour  of  the  figures.  In 
the  ambulatory  chapels  on  the  north  side  of  the  choir, 
there  are  two  complete  windows  of  this  period,  both 
of  them  grisaille  with  gay  heraldic  devices  and  col- 
oured borders.  In  one  the  light  field  is  arranged  in 
quarries  (diamond-shaped  spaces),  each  quarry  hav- 
ing its  own  little  border  of  colour;  this  is  very  un- 
usual. Here  the  contrast  of  rich  tones  and  grisaille 
is  not  so  disagreeable  as  in  the  clerestory.  In  the 
south  transept  is  a  large  rose  window  containing  con- 
ventional designs  in  red  and  blue,  but  no  figures.  We 
find  the  same  objection  to  the  placing  of  this  window 
and  to  its  construction'  that  we  did  to  the  rose  win- 
dows at  Clermont-Ferrand:  it  is  too  high  up  ancl 

170 


FOUKTEENTH  AND  FIFTEENTH 

seems  crowded  against  the  roof,  while  its  lines 
radiate  so  obviously  from  the  centre  as  to  make  it 
resemble  a  wheel,  whose  spokes  are  too  thick.  The 
century  before  did  well  to  have  medallions  placed 
around  the  central  opening  of  its  rose  windows,  for 
they  gave  the  effect  of  a  huge  blossom  and  not  the 
stiff  look  of  a  wheel.  As  we  leave  Limoges  on  our 
way  to  Poitiers  we  shall  find,  if  we  travel  by  automo- 
bile or  bicycle,  that  the  road  along  the  Vienne,  fol- 
lowing the  picturesque  windings  of  that  charming 
river,  is  one  of  the  most  delightful  in  all  France. 


171 


POITIERS 

Upon  one  of  our  thirteenth  century  pilp^rimages 
the  reader  has  already  been  taken  to  Poitiers  (see 
page  47).  Not  only  has  he  visited  the  cathedral 
and  seen  its  glorious  Crucifixion  window,  but  he 
has  also  entered  the  smaller  church  of  St.  Rade- 
gonde  to  view  the  thirteenth  century  glass  there. 
For  the  purpose  of  this  trip  he  must  again 
repair  to  the  latter  church  to  see  a  unique  mani- 
festation of  the  effect  produced  by  the  new  demand 
for  more  light,  which  is  the  most  marked  fea- 
ture of  the  taste  in  glass  of  the  fourteenth  century. 
The  windows  which  we  are  now  seeking  are  the  four 
in  the  north  wall  between  the  north  portal  and  the 
choir.  They  are  undoubtedly  interesting,  but  can 
hardly  be  called  beautiful.  In  order  to  admit  as  much 
light  as  possible,  the  greater  part  of  their  surfaces 
is  filled  with  light  greenish-grey  grisaille,  whose  de- 
sign is  that  of  a  number  of  circles,  each  circle  im- 
pinging on  the  next.  Scattered  irregularly  upon  the 
grisaille  are  many  small-sized  personages  in  deep 
colour.  Around  the  whole  is  a  brilliant  border.  The 
contrast  between  the  gay  hues  of  the  figures  (and  also 

172 


POUETEENTH  AND  FIFTEENTH 

of  the  border)  and  the  light  tone  of  the  grisaille  is 
not  only  too  sharp  to  be  pleasant,  but  it  also  destroys 
the  harmonious  ensemble  which  is  the  great  charm 
in  the  early  canopy  window.  It  seems  logical  that 
the  light-admitting  csino])j  should  be  used  as  a  frame 
for  the  richly-coloured  figure  which  it  encloses,  but 
there  is  no  artistic  excuse  for  spotting  light  grisaille 
with  sharply-outlined,  strongly-toned  figures,  and 
then  framing  the  whole  by  the  harsh  lines  of  a  col- 
oured conventional  border.  At  Bourges  the  beau- 
ties of  the  thirteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries  can  be 
seen  at  the  same  time,  and  each  enjoyed,  although  for 
different  reasons.  Here  at  St.  Radegonde,  however, 
the  charming  thirteenth  century  rose  window  above 
the  north  portal  enjoys  an  easy  victory  over  the 
glaring  contrasts  of  its  fourteenth  century  neigh- 
bours. The  latter  should  be  inspected  because  they 
are  unique  in  their  elaborate  method  of  admitting 
light,  but  they  point  to  a  road  which  should  not  be 
followed.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  at  the  time 
of  their  construction  these  windows  were  very  highly 
considered.  There  was  no  reason  why  they  should 
not  have  been  of  the  best,  because  this  church  has 
long  benefited  by  the  generosity  of  pilgrims  to  the 
tomb  of  the  saint  beneath  its  choir.  Among  these 
none  was  more  devoted  than  Anne  of  Austria,  the 
queen  of  Louis  XIII.  Nor  is  this  shrine  the  only 
attraction  to  the  pious  which  the  church  can  boast, 
for  in  the  south  wall  there  is  a  small  recess  protected 

173 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

by  an  iron  grille  enclosing  what  is  represented  to 
be  a  footprint  of  Jesus  Christ.  This  is  still  an  ob- 
ject of  much  veneration.  These  facts  must  be  taken 
into  consideration,  because  a  church  to  which  crowds 
of  votaries  for  centuries  resorted  would  surely  con- 
tain no  glass  inappropriate  to  the  wealth  and  high 
standing  of  these  pilgrims.  In  fact,  a  certain  hall- 
mark is  thus  given  its  windows,  which  enables  us  by 
means  of  it  to  judge  of  the  taste  of  the  time. 


174 


AE^GERS 

There  is  hardly  a  religious  edifice  in  existence 
where  so  many  periods  of  glass  are  represented  by 
such  uniformly  good  examples  as  in  St.  Maurice 
Cathedral  at  Angers.  In  a  former  visit  (see 
page  55)  we  observed  that  its  nave  contains  the 
greatest  amount  of  twelfth  century  work  which 
any  French  church  can  show  and  also  that  in 
its  choir  and  transepts  there  are  many  fine  medal- 
lion windows  of  the  thirteenth  century.  Now  we 
will  take  up  the  really  gorgeous  fifteenth  century 
glass,  beginning  with  the  two  large  west  windows 
of  the  north  transept.  So  elaborated  and  full 
of  architectural  detail  are  they  that  their  canopies 
alone  occupy  more  than  half  the  entire  window  space. 
We  have  generally  seen  the  canopy  used  only  as  a 
frame,  but  here  there  is  more  frame  than  picture! 
Each  of  these  two  windows  contains  four  niches  en- 
closing brilliantly-hued  figures,  two  in  the  lower  half 
and  two  in  the  upper  half  of  each  window.  The  glass 
forming  the  canopy  part  is  much  deeper  in  tone  than 
we  have  been  accustomed  to  find,  having  a  strong 
greenish  shade  similar  to  that  found  in  many  Eng- 
lish fourteenth  century  canopies   (as,  for  example, 

175 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

those  in  New  College  Chapel,  Oxford).  We  have 
noted  before  that  English  glass  is  generally  more 
highly  coloured  in  the  fourteenth  than  in  the  fifteenth 
century,  but  the  contrary  is  true  in  France,  where 
the  fourteenth  is  much  softer  in  tone  than  that  found 
in  the  next  century.  These  windows  provide  a  case 
in  point.  It  is  perhaps  well  that  they  are  so  strongly 
toned,  for  even  as  it  is,  they  seem  rather  pale  in 
comparison  with  the  early  medallion  windows  all 
around  them.  The  embrasures  which  they  fill  were 
built  in  the  thirteenth  century  and  are  therefore 
larger  than  those  generally  found  in  the  fifteenth; 
the  extremely  strong  saddle  bars  necessary  to  sup- 
port this  great  weight  of  glass  are  so  noticeable  to  the 
observer  that  they  seem  to  isolate  the  panels  con- 
taining the  figures  and  thus  hurt  the  frame  effect  of 
the  canopy.  Perhaps  the  pilgrim  will  find  this  com- 
ment is  hypercritical,  for  the  windows  are  undoubt- 
edly very  effective.  They  were  given  by  Bishop 
Jean-Michel  about  1440. 

One  is  naturally  curious  to  see  the  work  done  by 
an  artist  in  his  home  town,  for  if  not  of  his  best,  it  is 
apt  to  be  typical  and  show  the  influence  which  his 
natural  environment  exercised  upon  him.  For  this 
reason  we  turn  with  considerable  interest  to  see  what 
was  accomplished  by  Andre  Robin,  when  called  in 
1452  to  reglaze  the  rose  windows  of  the  transepts. 
The  stone  traceries  had  been  constructed  in  the  thir- 
teenth century,  and  though  it  is  difficult  to  adapt 

176 


FOURTEENTH  AND  FIFTEENTH 

later  glass  to  earlier  framework,  the  result  here  has 
been  very  successful,  much  more  so  than,  for  ex- 
ample, in  the  case  of  the  west  rose  of  the  Ste. 
Chapelle  in  Paris.  In  the  north  rose  window  Robin 
put  the  Resurrection.  Christ  is  in  the  centre  and 
from  Him  there  radiate  sixteen  elongated  panes 
bearing  yellow  and  blue  angels.  The  resurrected 
dead  are  shown  in  the  act  of  pushing  up  the  covers 
of  their  tombs,  a  conventional  method  of  represent- 
ing them.  Above  are  little  scenes  illustrating  the  oc- 
cupations of  each  month  of  the  year.  Upon  the  south 
rose  there  appear  the  signs  of  the  zodiac,  and  below 
them  the  Elders  of  the  Apocalypse.  In  these  Elders 
we  may  trace  a  reference  to  the  splendid  set  of 
Apocalpyse  tapestries  which  hang  around  the  in- 
terior. The  most  northerly  window  on  the  east  side 
of  the  transept  is  also  by  Robin.  The  subject  is 
the  Crucifixion,  and  it  was  finished  in  1499.  In 
Angers  there  is  yet  another  set  of  fifteenth  century 
windows,  and  to  see  them  we  must  go  to  the  little 
church  of  St.  Serge,  in  whose  choir  we  have  already 
studied  the  charming  twelfth  century  grisaille.  These 
windows  are  of  the  canopy  type  and  are  placed  in  the 
nave  clerestory.  There  are  three  on  each  side,  the 
two  westerly  ones  being  of  three  broad  lancets  each 
and  the  easterly  one  of  two  lancets.  The  colour  con- 
trasts are  good  and  the  architecture  in  the  canopy 
framing  very  convincing,  both  in  size  and  adjust- 
ment. 

177 


LE  MANS 

During  the  course  of  our  former  visit  to  Le  Mans 
Cathedral  (see  page  60)  we  remarked  that  the  tran- 
septs were  glazed  in  the  fifteenth  century.  The  glass  is 
good  and  the  north  rose  is  particularly  well  worth  see- 
ing. Of  the  transepts  themselves,  it  may  be  said  that 
no  others  in  all  France  are  provided  with  windows  in 
such  a  curiously  irregular  way,  no  two  corresponding 
portions  of  wall  having  the  same  or  even  similar 
ones.  There  is  no  window  at  all  in  the  south  tran- 
sept end,  but  instead  there  is  a  solid  wall  against 
which  the  organ  is  backed.  The  west  side  of  this 
transept  has  two  very  large  windows  with  coloured 
borders  framing  grisaille,  upon  which  are  small 
circles  and  squares.  On  the  east  side  the  wall  has 
even  fewer  openings.  Crossing  over  to  the  north 
transept,  we  find  still  more  irregular  arrangement, 
there  being  a  marked  difference  in  amount  of  window 
space,  as  well  as  in  the  shape  and  adjustment  be- 
tween the  east  and  the  west  wall.  There  is,  however, 
a  distinct  improvement  over  the  south  transept  in 
that  here  there  are  canopy  windows  and  that,  too, 
of  no  ordinary  type.    But  it  is  to  the  north  end  of  this 

178 


FOUETEENTH  A^D  FIFTEENTH 

transept  that  we  must  turn  to  have  our  admiration  as 
well  as  our  interest  thoroughly  aroused.  The  writer 
believes  this  to  be  the  finest  example  of  a  rose  win- 
dow, blossoming  out  at  the  top  of  a  well-adjusted 
group  of  lancets,  that  the  fifteenth  century  can  afford. 
At  Clermont-Ferrand  and  Limoges  we  have  noticed 
that  the  tendency  at  that  time  was  to  crowd  the  rose 
up  too  high  against  the  roof  and  then  try  to  counter- 
act the  effect  by  placing  beneath  it  a  row  of  lancets 
to  bring  down  the  whole  group.  At  Le  Mans  the  ad- 
justment in  the  wall  is  perfect.  Further,  the  lower 
range  of  windows  is  treated  with  the  respect  it  de- 
serves, for  not  only  is  the  rose  beautifully  glazed,  but 
the  lancets  have  also  received  the  artist's  careful  at- 
tention :  they  are  graceful,  good-sized  and  filled  with 
a  triple  tier  of  excellent  canopied  figures.  The  rose 
is  poised  above  and  between  the  points  of  two  wide 
lancet  windoAvs,  each  of  which  is  in  turn  divided  per- 
pendicularly by  mullions.  The  subject.  The  Crown- 
ing of  the  Virgin,  is  admirably  treated,  and  noth- 
ing could  be  more  delightful  than  the  numerous 
angels  singing  and  playing  upon  various  musical  in- 
struments. For  the  honour  of  the  fifteenth  century 
glazier  it  is  well  that  we  should  see  this  splendid  ef- 
fect, because  we  might  otherwise  conclude  that,  not- 
withstanding his  brilliant  success  in  producing  canopy 
panels,  he  never  grasped  the  full  possibilities  of  the 
i:ose  window. 


179 


SEES 

En  route  from  Le  Mans  to  Sees  we  must  pass  di- 
rectly through  Alenc.'on,  famous  for  its  lace,  and  espe- 
cially for  the  sort  known  as  Point  d'Alengon.  If  en 
automobile  we  should  stop  here  long  enough  to  see 
the  Renaissance  glass  in  the  church  of  Notre  Dame. 
Although  of  a  latej  period  than  that  which  we  are 
now  considering,  we  must  not  be  so  narrow-minded 
as  to  deliberately  pass  by  fine  glass,  no  matter  when 
it  was  made.  The  exterior  of  Notre  Dame  struck  the 
writer  as  curiously  emblematic  of  the  impression 
which  one  receives  of  the  town.  The  church  is  squat 
and  ugly,  but  it  is  redeemed  by  the  lacelike  Gothic 
of  its  western  porch,  which,  fearful  lest  it  be  not  re- 
marked, thrusts  itself  out  into  the  street.  In  similar 
fashion,  Alen§on  as  a  town  has  its  commonplaceness 
condoned  by  reason  of  the  beauty  of  its  lace,  a  beauty 
Avhich  is  constantly  thrust  upon  your  attention  by 
its  inhabitants.  The  glass  to  be  noticed  is  around 
the  nave  clerestory.  A  most  charming  stone  setting 
is  provided  for  this  sixteenth  century  glazing  by  the 
broad  and  high  embrasures  of  six  lancets  each.  Par- 
ticularly note  how,  at  the  top  of  each  sheaf  of  lancets, 

180 


FOURTEENTH  'A^D  FIFTEENTH 

the  delicate  lines  of  the  traceries  flow  upward  and  in- 
ward like  flames  aspiring  from  a  broad-based  fire, 
seeking  the  outlet  above  of  a  narrow  chimney.  The 
picture  period  is  here  at  its  best,  and  the  artist,  re- 
gardless of  the  upright  stone  mullions,  has  spread  his 
subject  across  all  the  lancets  of  each  embrasure,  and 
has  lavished  upon  them  all  the  shades  of  his  richly 
stocked  palette.  Over  the  west  portal  we  have  the 
same  shape  of  window,  but  here  it  is  broader  and  per- 
mits of  eight  lancets.  The  subject  is  the  well-worn 
one  of  Jesse  and  his  descendants,  but  the  design  is 
distinctly  novel,  and  an  unusual  amount  of  green 
foliage  against  a  blue  background  lends  a  pleasant 
tone  to  the  picture.  The  descendants  are  relegated 
to  the  upper  panes,  while  the  major  portion  of  the 
great  surface  is  divided  equally  between  Jesse  (on 
the  right)  and  a  large  panel  enclosing  the  scene  of 
the  Saviour's  birth  (on  the  left).  Of  the  rest  of 
the  glass  in  this  church  it  is  kindly  comment  to  say 
that  it  is  unsatisfactory. 

But  let  us  push  on  to  Sees,  20  kilometres  further. 
One  reads  but  little  of  the  cathedral  there,  and  more's 
the  pity,  because  from  any  point  of  view  it  is  not  only 
admirable,  but  picturesquely  delightful.  Placed  upon 
a  slight  eminence  in  the  midst  of  a  wide  basin,  this 
elevation  suffices  to  make  it  visible  from  a  long  dis- 
tance on  every  side.  Its  gracefully  aspiring  twin 
spires,  its  mantle  of  flying  buttresses,  the  charming 
conformation  of  its  eastern  end,  all  conspire  to  allure 

181 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

us  and  fill  us  with  expectations  of  what  a  nearer  view 
may  reveal.  Nor  does  the  interior  fail  to  realise  all 
this  distant  promise.  What  a  graceful  lightness  of 
stonework  is  every^vhere  visible,  supplemented  by  the 
glazier's  intelligent  delicacy  of  touch.  The  nave 
alone  lacks  its  ancient  glass.  Nowhere  in  France  or 
elsewhere  can  the  fourteenth  century  glass  artist  be 
seen  to  greater  advantage  than  at  Sees.  Very  happy 
is  the  way  in  which  his  light-admitting  grisaille  has 
been  enlivened  and  decorated  by  coloured  borders 
and  bands  of  richly-toned,  canopy-framed  figures. 
At  Evreux  we  will  find  him  more  splendid,  more 
varied,  but  here,  around  the  choir  and  the  transepts, 
he  has  worked  out  more  consistently,  more  coherent- 
ly, his  new  idea  of  combining  translucence  and  colour 
decoration.  Dainty,  almost  dangerously  fragile  as  is 
the  stonework  that  supports  the  upper  windows,  the 
glazier's  handiwork  is  daintier  still — a  film  of  soft 
grisaille  held  in  a  spider's  web  of  lead  lines,  whilst 
across  the  middle  third  are  bands  of  early  canopies. 
Not  only  in  the  clerestory  of  choir  and  transepts,  but 
also  in  the  choir  chapels  below,  do  we  find  this  treat- 
ment uniformly  carried  out.  The  completeness  of 
the  scheme  of  decoration,  as  well  as  the  satisfactory 
adjustment  of  colour  to  grisaille,  give  an  ensemble 
-*  which  we  elsewhere  seek  in  vain.  Not  satisfied  with 
the  illumination  provided  by  his  airy  clerestory,  the 
architect  has  pierced  his  triforium  gallery  through- 
out.   In  this  lower  tier  there  has  been  no  attempt  to 

182. 


FOURTEENTH  AND  FIFTEENTH 

introduce  figures,  the  glazier  having  contented  him- 
self with  surrounding  his  grisaille  by  decorated  bor- 
ders. The  only  exception  to  this  rule  is  where  the 
triforium  gallery  passes  below  the  lovely  rosaces  that 
decorate  the  transept  ends — there,  in  each  case,  the 
row  of  ten  lancets  is  filled,  alas!  with  modern  glass 
whose  thin  tones  betray  it  at  once.  Fortunately  one 
is  too  much  absorbed  in  looking  at  the  great  roses 
above  to  notice  them  very  intently.  So  high  up  are 
these  rosaces  in  their  respective  walls  that  the  arch- 
ing of  the  ceiling  actually  passes  in  front  of  their 
upper  corners.  That  in  the  south  transept  is  a  wheel 
window  with  medallions  in  the  ends  of  the  spokes, 
but  instead  of  the  rest  of  the  openings  being  glazed  in 
grisaille  (as  at  Eouen  Cathedral),  colour  is  here  used 
throughout.  Very  different  is  the  north  transept 
rose,  from  the  centre  of  which  six  broad  arms  diverge, 
separating  groups  of  blossom-like  apertures.  The 
colour  is  good,  but  would  have  been  better  had  there 
been  omitted  the  white  borders  that  make  the  coloured 
panels  seem  about  to  start  from  their  sockets.  The 
luminous  effectiveness  of  the  interior  is  utilised  and 
accentuated  by  the  placing  of  the  double-faced  altar 
on  a  raised  platform  in  the  middle  of  the  cross- 
ing where  the  transepts  can  contribute  to  its  glory 
equally  with  the  choir.  The  high  altar  carries  off  the 
unusual  honour  of  this  central  position  with  great 
dignity  and  success. 

So  much  are  we  seized  and  held  by  the  charm  of 
183 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

the  general  effect  that  we  are  not  tempted,  as  is  so 
often  the  case  elsewhere,  to  solace  ourselves  with 
spelling  out  quaint  details  in  individual  windows. 
Nevertheless,  that  form  of  research  is  here  well  worth 
while.  Three  times  on  the  south  side  of  the  choir 
clerestory  and  again  in  the  second  choir  chapel  on  the 
left,  do  we  find  the  donors,  ingenuously  holding  in 
their  uplifted  hands  small  models  of  their  gift  win- 
dows. Several  times  we  will  note  two  canopy  panels 
whose  stories  must  be  read  together,  as  for  example 
in  the  first  choir  chapel  on  the  right,  where  a  mounted 
man  in  armour  is  piercing  with  his  spear  the  side 
of  the  crucified  Christ  in  the  next  panel  to  the  right. 
Interesting  as  are  these  and  many  ©ther  similar  de- 
tails, it  is  the  softly  tinted  illumination  of  the  whole 
interior,  more  than  any  particular  feature,  that 
makes  us  remember  Sees  Cathedral  as  one  of  the  most 
satisfactory  French  examples  of  fourteenth  century 
glazing. 


184 


VERNEUIL 

Long  before  one  reaches  Verneuil  he  remarks  a 
great  tower  looming  high  above  the  surrounding 
house-tops,  a  tower  so  commanding  as  to  seem  to 
beckon  us  from  afar,  and  then  later  when  we  have 
reached  its  foot,  to  make  us  halt  awhile  in  its  shadow 
to  enjoy  the  innumerable  delicate  details  of  its  archi- 
tecture, which  render  a  near  view  as  delightful  as  the 
distant  prospect  is  imperious.  It  is  not  often  in 
France  that  one  sees  so  striking  a  landmark,  which 
must  have  been  vastly  more  significant  still  in  those 
battleworn  years  of  the  middle  ages  when  Verneuil 
was  for  so  long  an  important  post  on  the  frontier  be- 
tween France  and  the  territory  held  by  the  English. 
There  may  still  be  seen  one  of  the  massive  round 
towers  of  the  ancient  fortifications,  its  great  size  bear- 
ing witness  to  the  importance  attached  to  the  pos- 
session and  defence  of  the  city.  'Not  is  Verneuil 
lacking  in  other  and  more  homely  charms,  for  it  pre- 
serves many  of  its  old  timbered  houses,  as  well  as 
others  of  stone  and  brick  decorated  at  one  corner  by 
a  gracefully  carved  tourelle.  On  making  our  way 
to  the  centre  of  the  town  we  find  that  the  great  tower 

185 


STAi:t^ED  GLASS  TOUES  IN  FKAISTCE 

belongs  to  the  church  of  La  Madeleine,  which  occu- 
pies one  end  of  the  spacious  market-place.  No  more 
ill-assorted  collection  of  incongruous  elements  were 
ever  found  in  one  edifice.  The  lofty  uplift  of  the 
choir  and  transepts  rises  so  much  above  the  low  roof- 
tree  of  the  nave,  that  viewed  from  a  little  distance, 
there  seems  no  connecting  link  between  the  eastern 
portion  of  the  churcji  and  the  great  tower  at  the  west- 
ern end.  The  transepts  are  so  short  as  to  extend  but 
little  beyond  the  sides  of  the  choir,  and  furthermore 
there  are  two  sets  of  transepts,  side  by  side,  and 
opening  into  each  other.  It  is  to  the  eastern  and 
loftier  part  of  the  edifice  that  we  must  repair.  Here 
about  the  choir  and  the  two  parallel  chapels  that  ad- 
join it  are  a  dozen  windows  containing  fifteenth  cen- 
tury canopies,  mostly  arranged  in  two  tiers,  one  above 
the  other.  Note  that  it  is  groups  rather  than  single 
figures  that  appear  within  the  enframing  niches,  and 
that  the  stories  told  by  these  panels  are  more  elabo- 
rate, even  if  less  effective  than  their  grander  contem- 
poraries in  the  transepts.  These  latter  are  fine  tall- 
pinnacled  examples,  each  canopy  enclosing  a  single 
figure,  and  are  found  in  three  of  the  four  great  em- 
brasures that  light  the  end  walls  of  the  transepts. 
The  fourth  contains  Renaissance  canopies.  Through- 
out all  this  fifteenth  century  glass  the  deepness  of  the 
tones  used  in  the  figures  within  the  niches  is  most 
noticeable. 

There  are  also  several  sixteenth  century  windows, 
186 


FOUKTEEISTTH  AND  FIFTEENTH 

the  most  noteworthy  one  being  a  Tree  of  Jesse  in 
the  east  end  of  the  southerly  chapel.  A  large  figure 
of  the  Virgin  holding  the  Infant  Jesus  is  shown 
standing  on  the  vine  just  at  the  point  where  the 
branches  separate,  Jesse's  descendants,  drawn  to  a 
smaller  scale,  are  emerging  from  blossoms  all  about 
the  Virgin,  whom  they  are  intently  regarding. 

Although  the  fifteenth  century  glass  in  La  Made» 
leine  is  not  so  splendid  as  some  we  have  seen  else- 
where, it  is  in  such  quantity  and  variety,  as  to  af- 
ford valuable  facilities  for  comparison  and  study. 
There  is  also  good  glass  to  be  seen  in  the  church  of 
Notre  Dame.  The  picturesque  old-world  flavour  of 
Verneuil  will  perhaps  make  it;  a  greater  favourite 
with  us  than  some  towns  possessing  more  important 
windows. 

On  leaving  Verneuil,  whether  we  decide  to  re- 
turn to  Paris  via  Chartres,  or  to  link  this  trip  on  to 
the  next  by  passing  directly  to  Evreux  and  thence 
to  Rouen,  we  may,  by  means  of  a  slight  detour,  go 
through  Nonancourt.  If  we  do,  we  should  delay 
there  long  enough  to  enter  the  church  to  see  the  low 
fifteenth  century  windows  along  the  nave  aisles,  as 
well  as  the  larger  Kenaissance  ones  that  stretch  in  a 
long  row  around  the  whole  length  of  the  clerestory. 
It  will  be  worth  the  few  additional  kilometres  to  the 
automobilist,  although  hardly  demanding  the  break- 
ing of  a  railway  journey. 


187 


CHARTRES 

Besides  its  wondrous  cathedral,  Chartres  has  an- 
other though  a  more  modest  sanctuary  which  also 
possesses  its  original  glazing  almost  intact.  This  is 
the  church  of  St.  Pierre,  a  unique  example  of  the 
glazier's  attempt  to  meet  the  objection  of  light  ob- 
struction charged  against  the  thirteenth  century  mo- 
saic method.  His  treatment  of  the  clerestory  lights  is 
of  peculiar  interest.  There  are  no  transepts.  Around 
the  clerestory  each  window  is  divided  perpendicular- 
ly in  half,  one  side  being  glazed  in  colour  and  the 
other  in  soft  grisaille.  The  only  difference  in  the 
nave  clerestory  is  that  there  each  window  is  divided 
perpendicularly  into  three  instead  of  two,  the  mid- 
dle division  in  each  case  containing  colour  work  and 
the  two  outside  ones,  grisaille.  This  method  of 
glazing,  plus  the  fact  that  the  triforium  is  pierced, 
produces  the  desired  amount  of  illumination  within, 
but  one  can  hardly  say  that  it  is  produced  in  an  al- 
together satisfactory  manner.  It  is  inevitable  that 
this  sandwiching  of  strips  of  colour  between  others 
of  grisaille  should  reduce  the  value  of  the  tints 
and  dull  their  glow.  The  effect  is  very  strange — 
it  is  as  i^  tall  shutters  of  dark  hue  had  been  pre- 

188 


FOUKTEENTH  AND  FIFTEENTH 

pared  for  grisaille  windows,  but  that  these  shutters 
had  only  been  put  up  on  one  side  of  each.  Whether 
one  admires  it  or  not,  the  method  is  novel,  and  worth 
examining.  The  new  demand  for  more  light  has 
been  met,  but  we  have  not  yet  reached  the  perfection 
of  church  illumination.  For  this  we  must  wait  until 
the  fully  elaborated  canopy  panels  of  the  fifteenth 
century,  for  in  those  the  glazier  hit  upon  just  the 
right  proportion  of  colour  and  translucency  by  means 
of  convincingly  complete  designs  containing  no  jar- 
ring contrasts.  It  is  well  if  one  defers  this  inspec- 
tion of  St.  Pierre,  and  does  not  go  to  it  straight  from 
the  sombre  glories  of  the  cathedral.  Such  an  imme- 
diate comparison  will  render  it  difficult  to  realise 
what  an  agreeable  experience  the  smaller  edifice  af- 
fords for  the  student  of  glass  (see  page  67). 

Do  not  fail  to  go  into  the  Lady  Chapel  to  see  the 
delightful  set  of  twelve  enamels  representing  the 
Apostles,  by  many  considered  the  chef  d'oeuvre  of 
the  master  of  that  craft,  Leonard  Limousin.  They 
are  remarkable  not  only  for  their  delicious  combi- 
nation of  tones  and  shades,  but  also  for  their  un- 
usually large  size  (two  feet  high  by  one  foot  broad). 
One  is  not  surprised  at  the  great  care  everywhere  ap- 
parent in  their  workmanship  when  one  learns  that 
they  were  ordered  by  Francis  I,  who,  however,  did 
not  live  to  see  them  finished.  His  son,  Henry  II, 
presented  them  to  Diane  de  Poitiers  for  her  Chateau 
d'Anet. 

189 


STAINED  GLASS  TOUKS  IN  FKANCE 

Before  leaving  St.  Pierre,  observe  how  excellent- 
ly the  architect  adjusted  the  relative  heights  of  the 
bays,  triforium  and  clerestory;  so  graceful  is  the  re- 
sult that  we  depart  with  the  impression  of  an  edifice 
of  unusually  agreeable  proportions. 


190 


QUIMPEE 

Far  off  in  the  western  corner  of  France  dwells 
that  strange  race,  the  Bretons.  Leave  behind  you 
Paris,  the  standard-bearer  of  things  modern,  and  set 
out  for  distant  Quimper,  the  westernmost  outpost 
of  French  glass.  You  will  find  yourself  in  the 
midst  of  a  curious  folk  whose  origin  is  unknown,  in 
a  bleak  country  where  over  a  million  people  speak  an 
uncouth  Celtic  tongue  utterly  unlike  French;  where 
customs,  handed  down  from  father  to  son,  persist  for 
centuries;  where  modern  costume  is  ignored  and  the 
peasant  glories  in  his  bright  blue  and  gold  jacket 
adorned  with  glittering  buttons.  You  have  even 
passed  beyond  the  fabled  forest  of  Broceliande,  where 
Vivien  held  the  great  Merlin  by  her  magic  spell. 

Quimper  must  be  visited  for  its  own  sake  because 
there  are  no  neighbouring  glass  towns.  Long  as  is  the 
journey,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  you  will  be  repaid  for 
its  discomforts.  Arrive,  if  you  can,  on  a  Sunday. 
The  roomy  interior  of  the  cathedral  is  quite  as  at- 
tractive as  the  elaborate  Gothic  detail  outside  has 
promised.  Here  during  service,  perhaps  more  than 
anywhere  else  in  France,  will  the  middle  ages  seem 

191 


STAIKED  GLASS  TOURS  m  FRANCE 

to  you  still  to  be  lingering  on.  'No  stiff  rows  of  pews 
obtrude  their  modern  convenience  upon  your  notice. 
You  will  find  the  great  church  filled  with  group  upon 
group  of  Breton  men  and  women  sitting  on  rude  rush- 
bottomed  chairs,  the  men  in  their  gay  attire  and  the 
women  wearing  quaint  white  caps  which  vary  slight- 
ly in  each  little  village  or  commune.  All  this  serves 
to  take  us  back  into  feudal  times;  we  sink  into  a 
seat  and  observe  the  intense  interest  with  which  our 
neighbours  are  following  the  ringing  exhortations  of 
the  priest,  couched  in  homely  phrases,  quite  like  the 
discourse  which  his  predecessors  in  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury preached  from  the  same  pulpit  to  a  very  similar 
audience.  Our  mood  becomes  so  mediaeval  as  to 
almost  make  the  ancient  stained  glass  seem  contem- 
porary. It  is  a  pleasant  thought  that  the  series  of 
canopy  windows  made  for  the  choir  clerestory  in  1417 
by  Jamin  Sohier  should  have  been  continued  and 
carried  along  the  clerestory  of  the  nave  and  tran- 
septs by  his  son,  also  named  Jamin  Sohier,  towards 
the  end  of  the  same  century.  One  of  these  later  ones 
near  the  west  front  bears  the  date  1496.  Some  of 
those  in  the  nave  were  sadly  injured  by  the  stress  of 
time,  and  a  few  altogether  destroyed;  but  they  have 
been  repaired  and  replaced  most  successfully,  pious 
care  having  been  taken  to  restore  them  as  nearly  as 
possible  to  their  original  condition.  This  was  done 
during  the  years  1867  to  1874  by  M.  Lugon  at  the 
expense  of  the  State.     The  nave  windows  of  the 

192 


FOURTEENTH  AND  FIFTEENTH 

younger  Sohier  are  much  more  brilliant,  both  in  rich- 
ness and  in  variety  of  colours,  than  the  earlier  choir 
windows  of  his  father.  The  gradual  development  of 
the  verre  double  (or  double  sheets  of  glass)  placed 
a  greater  variety  of  tints  at  the  disposal  of  the  ar- 
tist, and  he  eagerly  took  advantage  of  his  enriched 
palette.  By  comparing  the  choir  panels  with  the 
later  ones  of  the  nave,  we  have  here  an  excellent  op- 
portunity to  study  the  development  of  the  canopy 
window.  We  cannot  help  but  feel  that  although  the 
earlier  ones  lack  the  brilliancy  and  glow  which  char- 
acterise those  constructed  later,  this  lack  is  more 
than  balanced  by  the  delicious  softness  of  the  light 
which  they  transmit.  It  is  interesting  to  observe  how 
many  of  them  set  forth  the  legend  of  St.  Christo- 
pher. Do  not  fail  to  notice  the  skillful  contrast  of  a 
strong  yellow  with  a  rich  green  of  which  the  east 
windows  of  the  north  transept  provide  several  ex- 
cellent examples. 

There  is  a  striking  peculiarity  in  the  ground  plan 
of  this  church.  The  choir  is  not  upon  the  same  axis 
as  the  nave,  but  inclines  at  quite  an  angle  to  the 
north.  This  peculiarity  also  exists  in  one  or  two 
other  French  churches,  and  the  local  authorities  al- 
ways delight  to  tell  you  that  it  is  a  form  of  Gothic 
symbolism  intended  to  represent  the  drooping  to  one 
side  of  the  Saviour's  head  on  the  Cross.  When  the 
true  explanation  is  discovered,  it  generally  proves  to 
be  of  a  more  practical  nature.     The  same  slant  to 

193 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

the  north  is  observable  in  the  choir  of  Saint  Jean,  at 
Troyes ;  there  it  was  caused  by  the  fact  that  the  street 
line  on  the  south  side  of  the  choir  had  to  be  pushed 
northward  after  the  great  fire  of  1524.  At  Quim- 
per  the  explanation  is  even  more  interesting.  In 
1239  Bishop  Raynaud  wished  to  add  to  his  cathe- 
dral the  chapel  of  Notre  Dame  (founded  in  1028  by 
the  Count  of  Comoucilles)  which  stood  a  little  to  the 
east  and  was  across  a  small  street.  He  extended  his 
choir  so  as  to  take  in  the  chapel ;  but  as  it  lay  a  little 
to  the  north  of  the  true  easterly  line,  he  had  to  slant 
his  choir  to  effect  his  purpose.  This  explanation  may 
not  be  poetically  symbolical,  but  it  is  historically  ac- 
curate. 


194 


SIXTEENTH   CENTURY 


SIXTEEN^TH  CENTUKY 

We  have  now  reached  the  perfected  period  of 
stained  glass,  by  some  called  the  Renaissance,  and 
by  others  the  Cinque-centq.  The  latter  affords  a 
graceful  recognition  of  Italian  inspiration  in  the  re- 
vival of  French  art  at  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth 
century.  By  this  time  the  reader  will  have  appre- 
ciated the  truth  of  the  statement  in  our  introduction 
that  stained  glass  saves  us  the  trouble  of  dividing  it 
into  periods,  because  it  falls  of  itself  into  divisions 
whose  boundaries,  oddly  enough,  coincide  approxi- 
mately with  those  of  the  centuries.  This  was  hereto- 
fore illustrated  when  the  canopy  vrindow  appeared 
upon  the  scene  and  caused  the  abrupt  change  from 
the  sombre  glittering  tones  of  the  thirteenth  century 
to  the  light-admitting  silvery-grey  glass  of  the  four- 
teenth. Now  we  are  about  to  see  how  another  change 
came  at  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century,  when  the 
Renaissance  sprang  full-grown,  not  Minerva-like 
from  the  brows  of  Jove,  but  from  those  of  Mars,  the 
God  of  War,  for  it  was  the  Italian  wars  of  Louis 
XII  and  Francis  I  that  brought  about  this  sudden 
regeneration  of  all  branches  of  French  art.     What 

197 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

the  French  soldiers  saw  in  Italy  they  remembered 
and  told  at  home,  and,  moreover,  many  of  their 
trophies  bore  witness  to  the  wonderful  development 
then  reached  by  Italian  art.  The  fact  that  after  sev- 
eral centuries  French  territory  was  at  last  relieved 
from  distress  of  war  naturally  resulted  in  a  sudden 
interest  in  building  of  all  sorts.  Because  of  this, 
architecture  was  among  the  first  of  the  arts  to  be  af- 
fected by  the  new  Italian  taste.  We  have  before 
noticed  the  inter-relation  of  the  needs  and  styles  of 
the  architect  with  those  of  the  glass  artist,  and  there- 
fore we  are  not  surprised  to  find  pur  windows  testi- 
fying that  the  latter  quickly  perceived  Gothic 
architecture  was  being  superseded  by  the  classic 
style.  During  the  last  two  centuries  he  had  grown 
to  appreciate  more  and  more  the  light-admitting  ad- 
vantages of  the  canopy  window,  but  now  he  changes 
the  simulated  architecture  from  Gothic  to  Renais- 
sance. In  his  designs  we  notice  an  even  more  im- 
portant change,  which  results  from  the  fact  that  he 
now  enjoys  a  good  working  knowledge  of  the  laws 
of  perspective  and  hastens  to  avail  himself  of  it  in 
order  to  lend  greater  depth  to  his  picture.  Indeed, 
in  some  instances,  he  carried  the  use  of  perspective 
almost  to  an  abuse.  His  predecessors  in  the  twelfth 
and  thirteenth  centuries  knew  nothing  of  these  rules, 
which,  indeed,  were  then  unknown  in  every  art.  On 
our  way  down  through  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth 
centuries,  because  most  of  the  windows  are  either 

198 


SIXTEENTH  CEXTUKY 

canopy,  or  grisaille  surcharged  with  figures,  we  are 
by  their  very  nature  denied  an  opportunity  to  ob- 
serve the  same  gradual  development  of  perspective 
which  was  contemporaneously  taking  place  in  paint- 
ing. The  result  is  that  when  in  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury the  glass  artist  decided  to  branch  out  from  the 
conventional  canopy  style  and  indulge  his  taste  in 
the  more  ambitious  effort  of  the  picture  window,  the 
sudden  change  from  no  perspective  to  an  abundance 
is  all  the  more  noticeable.  During  the  fourteenth 
and  fifteenth  centuries  the  only  hint  obtainable  of 
an  increasing  interest  in  perspective  was  when  we 
noticed  that  fifteenth  century  canopies  were  more 
elaborate  than  those  of  the  fourteenth,  not  only  be- 
cause they  had  much  more  intricate  pinnacles,  but 
also  by  reason  of  the  curtains  hanging  in  the  back 
of  the  niches,  and  other  details  showing  attempts 
to  gain  depth  in  the  picture.  In  his  large  picture 
windows  the  sixteenth  century  artist  also  has  more 
chance  to  show  us  how  greatly  the  discovery  of 
enamelling  on  glass  has  enriched  his  palette.  Dur- 
ing the  two  preceding  centuries  his  development  of 
verre  double  (or  glass  in  double  layers)  has  been 
yielding  a  constantly  increasing  variety  of  hues  in 
the  costumes  of  his  personages,  backgrounds,  etc. ; 
but  now  he  adds  his  brilliant  enamels  and  fairly 
riots  in  colour. 

We  shall  often  have  occasion  to  deplore  that  the 
glazier  of  the  Kenaissance  never  truly  grasped  the 

199 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FEANCE 

full  artistic  possibilities  of  the  black  outlines  ready  to 
his  hand  in  the  leads,  and  that  he  failed  to  realise^ 
as  did  his  predecessors,  that  the  more  the  drawing 
was  executed  by  the  leads  the  more  attractive  and 
convincing  the  resulting  picture  would  be.  Towards 
the  end  of  this  epoch  this  disregard  for  their  use- 
fulness in  the  design  was  often  carried  to  such  an 
extreme  that  one  concludes  the  artist  must  have  re- 
garded them  as  of  no  service  except  to  hold  the  glass 
in  position.  Some  of  the  men  who  indulged  most 
in  enamel  painting  became  so  engrossed  in  this  form 
of  decorating  glass  as  to  consider  the  leads  an  in- 
trusion, and  as  tending  to  reduce  the  size  of  the 
sheets,  which  they  preferred  should  be  of  large  size 
in  order  to  facilitate  the  painting  thereon  of  their 
pictures. 

To  recapitulate,  the  most  noticeable  features  of 
the  new  regime  are  then — 

(a)  Renaissance  architecture  depicted  instead  of 
Gothic. 

(h)  Larger  scenes. 

(c)  Use  of  perspective. 

(d)  Greatly  increased  diversity  of  colour. 

(e)  L^se  of  enamel  painting. 

(f)  Increasing  carelessness  in  use  of  leads. 
Not  only  does  Renaissance  architecture  supersede 

the  older  Gothic  on  our  windows,  but  it  very  natural- 
ly brings  w4th  it  certain  characteristics  of  the  new 
architect.    For  example,  because  he  generally  placed 

200 


"DESCENT  OF  THE  HOLY  GHOST,"  MONTFORT 
L'AMAURY   (i6th  Century). 

Architecture  depicted  nmv  entirely  Renaissance.  Tracery 
lights  aboz'e,  much  sii)iplified,  lend  artist  more  room  for  his  pic- 
ture. Lead  lines  no^v  mar  the  picture,  instead  of  only  providing 
the  outlines.  Drawing  greatly  perfected;  note  the  excellent 
grouping,  the  "Golden  Tongues,"  etc.  Kneeling  donors  are  not 
only  too  large  but  intrude  iipon  the  subject.     {See  page  237) . 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

the  date  conspicuously  upon  his  edifice,  so  in  Renais- 
sance glass  we  find  the  glazier  introducing  the  date 
upon  some  panel  of  the  simulated  architecture.  Be- 
fore this  time,  windows  were  seldom  dated;  now 
this  custom  soon  became  firmly  established  and  vari- 
ous methods  for  it  were  devised.  In  the  parish 
church  at  Les  Iffs,  in  Brittany,  the  west  panel  of  the 
small  chapel  on  the  south  side  of  the  choir  bears  its 
date  upon  a  gold  coin  held  by  one  of  the  figures. 
The  writer  remembers  this  well,  because,  finding  no 
date,  it  struck  him  that  it  might  be  on  the  coin.  He 
piled  three  chairs,  one  on  top  of  the  other,  climbed 
up,  and  there  it  was.  Immediately  after  the  dis- 
covery, the  chairs  fell  dowTi! 

Notwithstanding  the  richness  which  the  artist's 
palette  has  attained,  we  occasionally  meet  an  in- 
dication that  he  has  not  forgotten  the  cool  silvery- 
grey  formerly  yielded  by  the  canopy  window.  He 
now  sought  to  obtain  the  same  result  in  another 
fashion  by  occasionally  restricting  the  colour  of  a 
picture  window  to  various  shades  of  grey  (or  very 
light  brown),  relieved  by  flesh  tints  where  needed, 
and  enlivened  by  touches  of  yellow  stain.  We  some- 
times find  a  church  glazed  throughout  in  this  style, 
as,  for  example,  St.  Pantaleon  at  Troyes.  It  was, 
however,  chiefly  used  in  smaller  edifices  and  for 
domestic  or  civil  purposes.  This  particular  mani- 
festation of  sixteenth  century  style  outlived  most  of 
its  contemporaries  and  is  found  as  late  as  the  end 

201 


stai:n"ed  glass  tours  in^  feaistce 

of  the  next  century.  By  this  last  observation  we  are 
naturally  led  to  comment  upon  the  almost  complete 
collapse  of  the  cult  of  stained  glass  that  came  at  the 
end  of  this  century.  People  seemed  to  no  longer 
care  for  it,  although  it  had  for  more  than  four  hun- 
dred years  been  so  highly  esteemed.  We  read  of 
many  instances  of  artists  who  had  no  orders  for  work 
and  therefore  had  to  turn  their  talents  into  other 
channels.  That  master  of  so  many  arts,  Bernard 
Palissy,  writing  at  the  end  of  the  century,  tells  us 
that  so  completely  had  the  sale  of  glass  fallen  into 
disrepute  that  it  was  then  hawked  about  from  village 
to  village  by  those  who  sold  old  clothes  and  old  iron, 
and  that  although  the  art  was  a  noble  one,  many  of 
its  practitioners  found  it  difficult  to  get  enough  to 
live  upon.  For  this  passing  of  interest  there  have 
been  many  reasons  advanced,  but  perhaps  the  most 
convincing  is  that  of  surfeit.  Certain  it  is  that  an 
enormous  quantity  of  stained  glass  was  produced 
during  the  sixteenth  century,  much  of  which  has 
survived.  Of  course,  in  some  quarters  the  cult  lasted 
longer  than  in  others,  but  then  it  is  generally  trace- 
able to  the  existence  there  of  a  peculiarly  gifted 
group  of  glass  artists.  We  shall  find  this  true  at 
Troyes,  where  the  skill  and  fame  of  Linard  Gonthier 
and  his  school  produced  such  a  demand  for  their 
work  as  to  cause  the  art  in  that  locality  to  survive 
far  into  the  seventeenth  century. 

While  it  is  true    that  during  the  sixteenth  cen- 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

tury  glass  reached  its  highest  perfection,  it  is 
but  natural  that  on  the  way  up  it  should  have 
outgro^vn  many  of  the  indications  of  craft  tradi- 
tion which  we  have  from  time  to  time  no- 
ticed. The  perfected  picture  no  longer  needed  cer- 
tain conventional  signs  to  tell  its  story.  Perspec- 
tive and  improved  drawing  obviated  the  need  of 
them.  There  are,  however,  several  instances  which 
show  that  even  the  sixteenth  century  artist  felt  the 
charm  of  quaintness,  though  to  a  lesser  degree  than 
his  predecessors.  For  example,  a  window  in  Caude- 
bec  Cathedral  (the  Passage  of  the  Red  Sea  by  the 
Israelites)  takes  pains  to  identify  the  sea  by  having 
the  waves  glazed  in  red!  Though  he  had  discarded 
most  of  the  conventions,  he  retained  and  much  beau- 
tified a  few  of  them.  For  example,  in  Tree  of  Jesse 
windows,  he  far  outstripped  the  older  schools  in 
grace  and  elaboration  of  treatment.  As  an  indica- 
tion of  the  interest  felt  in  allegory  by  the  later  men 
we  must  invite  attention  to  the  so-called  "Wine 
Press"  window.  Here  we  have  the  same  branching 
vine  found  in  the  Tree  of  Jesse,  but  in  this  case  it 
springs  from  the  wounded  Christ,  who  is  being 
bruised  in  the  press  (or  sometimes  from  His  pressed- 
out  blood),  and  spreads  out  over  the  panes,  bearing 
as  its  blossoms  saints,  apostles  or  historical  person- 
ages. In  a  few  instances  it  rises  from  the  wine 
pressed  by  Christ  from  the  grapes.  Windows  of  this 
type  are  to  be  seen  at  Conches,  at  Troyes  and  many 

203 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

other  places,  but  nowhere  is  the  idea  so  elaborated 
as  at  St.  Etienne-dii-Mont  in  Paris.  Sometimes  the 
heads  displayed  on  the  vines  indicate  another  tend- 
ency of  this  century,  which  can  be  particularly 
noted  in  the  last  cited  window  (by  Pinaigrier) 
and  in  Engrand  Le  Prince's  Tree  of  Jesse  at  St. 
Etienne  (Beauvais).  In  these  two  the  heads  prove 
to  be  accurate  portraits  of  contemporary  royalties 
and  church  dignitaries,  a  fashion  then  much  affected 
and  highly  esteemed.  Another  evidence  of  this  same 
tendency  to  add  personal  touches  is  shown  in  the 
greatly  increased  use  of  armorial  bearings,  not  only 
serving  as  the  sole  decorations  of  a  panel,  but  also 
appearing  upon  picture  subjects.  These  coats  of 
arms  are  not  only  agreeable  in  effect,  but  also  by 
their  heraldry  are  very  useful  in  fixing  dates.  Many 
of  these  armorial  bearings  were,  however,  destroyed 
after  the  edict  of  1792,  forbidding  their  use.  Most 
sixteenth  century  windows  bear  the  donor's  figure, 
nor  shall  we  find  excessive  modesty  shown  by  the 
man  who  paid  the  price.  In  this  connection  it  is 
interesting  to  note  that  although  stained  glass  has  al- 
ways been  very  expensive,  strangely  enough  the  ex- 
pense has  remained  practically  constant  throughout 
all  its  history,  providing,  of  course,  one  takes  into 
consideration  the  varying  purchasing  power  of 
money.  In  fact,  the  cost  thus  corrected  varies  so 
little  from  epoch  to  epoch  as  to  be  positively  sur- 
prising.    When  we  consider  how  costly  was  a  gift 

204 


SIXTEENTH  CENTUEY 

of  this  sort,  perhaps  it  is  not  extraordinary  that, 
during  the  sixteenth  century,  we  generally  find 
upon  it  the  givers^  portraits;  the  wonder  is  that  the 
custom  was  not  more  widely  spread  before.  Unfor- 
tunately, the  donor  was  now  more  aggressive  than  his 
predecessors,  for  often  the  figure  is  not  only  too 
large,  but  actually  intrudes  upon  the  subject  of  the 
window.  Frequently  not  content  to  appear  alone, 
he  had  the  portraits  of  several  of  his  family  added 
as  well. 

Before  we  make  our  selection  of  towns  to  be  vis- 
ited, let  us  look  about  us  in  Paris,  for  it  has  not  a 
little  glass  to  show  us. 


205 


PAKIS 

Before  starting  on  our  thirteenth  century  tours, 
Paris  supplied  us  with  very  useful  results  from  our 
comparison  of  the  glass  in  the  Ste.  Chapelle  with 
that  of  the  north  rose  at  Notre  Dame,  l^ot  so  sat- 
isfactory was  our  study  of  the  fifteenth  century 
canopy  windows  at  St.  Severin  in  that  city.  We 
shall,  however,  find  excellent  sixteenth  century  glass 
in  several  of  the  Paris  churches,  and  will  thus  be 
afforded  an  opportunity  to  prepare  for  our  excursions 
by  obtaining  in  advance  some  idea  of  the  style  of 
that  period,  and  shall  also  find  some  examples  by 
its  best  artists.  Let  us  begin  at  St.  Germain  TAuxer- 
rois,  whose  charmingly  light  tower  and  graceful 
exterior  seem  to  give  the  lie  to  the  sinister  fact  that 
from  this  very  belfry  rang  out  the  signal  for  the 
massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew.  The  west  wall  of  the 
north  transept  provides  a  reason  for  here  beginning 
our  study  of  sixteenth  century  glass,  because  there, 
side  by  side,  are  two  very  similar  windows,  harmonis- 
ing agreeably  one  with  the  other,  and  yet  the  archi- 
tecture of  the  canopies  of  one  is  fifteenth  century 
Gothic,  and  of  the  other,  Renaissance.     This  very 

206 


SIXTEEISTTH  CENTUEY 

conveniently  illustrates  for  us  one  of  the  marked 
changes  which  came  over  our  glass.  If  the  canopies 
were  not  enough  to  date  them,  other  details  are  not 
lacking  to  perform  that  service.  The  earlier  win- 
dow has  all  the  features  of  the  distant  landscape  put 
in  with  the  leads,  while  in  the  later  one  they  are  deli- 
cately painted  on  greyish  blue;  especially  note  this 
in  the  well  scene.  The  other  windows  in  this  tran- 
sept are  also  attractive  and  the  warmth  of  some  of 
the  reds  in  the  bed  draperies  of  the  earlier  one  of 
the  pair  just  mentioned  should  be  noticed.  The  ad- 
justing of  the  figures  to  their  panes  in  the  transept 
rose  windows  is  adroitly  handled,  particularly  some 
of  the  kneeling  angels  in  the  south  one.  In  the  west 
wall  of  the  south  transept,  the  problem  of  placing  a 
central  figure  when  the  architect  provided  only  four, 
instead  of  five  lancets,  is  gracefully  overcome. 

At  St.  Gervais  we  have  one  of  the  few  opportuni- 
ties to  compare  two  of  the  greatest  artists  produced 
by  the  new  school — ^Robert  Pinaigrier  and  Jean 
Cousin — ^but  that  is  about  all  that  can  be  said  for 
this  ugly  church,  where  architecture,  white  windows 
and  modern  glass  combine  to  drive  away  the  student. 
The  best  window  is  by  Pinaigrier,  the  Judgment  of 
Solomon  (second  on  the  right  in  the  choir  chapels)  ; 
it  is  dated  1531,  and  although  considered  by  many 
his  masterpiece,  seems  to  us  to  have  too  much  marble 
pavement,  etc.,  for  its  personages;  and  further,  the 
little  scenes  in  the  tracery  lights  contrast  disagreeably 

207 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

not  only  with  the  picture  below,  but  also  with  its 
minarets  and  their  sky  background  which  jut  up  into 
the  space  above.  We  must,  however,  note  how  the 
accurate  perspective  contributed  by  the  lines  of  the 
pavement  and  the  distant  architecture  facilitates  the 
correct  stationing  of  the  figures  without  confusing 
them  as  to  position  or  foreshortening.  His,  also,  are 
the  twelve  panels  in  the  Lady  Chapel,  giving  scenes 
from  the  life  of  the  Virgin  Mary:  here  the  compo- 
sition is  delightful.  We  may  remark  in  passing 
that  at  least  one  of  them  displays  verses  which  by 
reason  of  their  quaint  expressions  are  less  suited  to 
our  times  than  to  the  more  unrestrained  speech  of 
those  earlier  days.  Jean  Cousin's  window,  the 
Martyrdom  of  St.  La^vrence  (1551),  is  the  first  on 
the  right  in  the  choir,  and  though  good  in  technique, 
is  not  attractive.  We  should  reserve  judgment  upon 
his  work  until  after  we  have  visited  Vincennes. 
Across  the  river  and  at  the  top  of  the  hill  crowned 
by  the  Pantheon  is  to  be  found  an  edifice  that  looks 
more  like  an  architectural  freak  than  a  church — St. 
Etienne-du-Mont.  It  seems  to  realise  its  own  ugli- 
ness and  tries  to  conceal  itself  behind  the  Pantheon. 
Once  we  enter  its  portal  we  find  a  vast  improvement 
over  the  distressing  exterior  of  this  confection  of 
stone.  There  are  plenty  of  spacious  windows  and  a 
general  airy  effect.  Swung  high  in  the  air  across 
the  front  of  the  choir  is  a  graceful  stone  jube  arch, 
seemingly  fastened  to  the  columns  at  each  end  by 

208 


sixtee:^th  ce:n'tury 

double  loops  of  delicate  spiral  stairways.  The  choir 
is  so  lightly  constructed,  and  with  so  few  obstructing 
columns,  that  the  whole  of  the  ambulatory  space  be- 
comes a  part  of  it.  This  arrangement  enables  us  to 
enjoy  the  glazing  of  the  ambulatory  and  the  choir 
chapels  from  all  parts  of  the  building.  A  little 
door  marked  ''Sacristie"  leads  off  from  the  ambula- 
tory through  a  corridor  to  the  Chapel  of  the  Cate- 
chism. Along  the  west  wall  of  this  chapel  are  ranged 
a  series  of  twelve  panels  by  Pinaigrier,  and  be- 
cause they  are  on  the  level  of  the  observer's  eye,  he 
is  afforded  every  facility  for  examining  what  could 
be  accomplished  by  a  great  artist  in  enamelling 
colour  on  glass.  In  fact,  there  is  no  place  in  France 
where  this  can  be  more  conveniently  studied.  Al- 
though all  twelve  are  fine,  that  devoted  to  the  allegory 
of  the  wine  press  is  easily  the  best.  Oddly  enough, 
it  was  the  gift  of  a  rich  wine  merchant.  In  it  are  to 
be  found  faithful  portraits  of  Pope  Paul  II,  Em- 
peror Charles  V,  Francis  I,  and  Henry  VIII  of 
England,  as  well  as  sundry  cardinals  and  archbish- 
ops, all  in  rich  ceremonial  costume.  !N'eedless  to 
say,  those  individuals  have  nothing  to  do  with  the 
subject  of  the  window,  but  the  opportunity  to  display 
portraits  of  them  was  too  good  for  the  artist  to 
waste.  This  frequently  appears  on  glass  of  the  pe- 
riod and  sometimes  the  result  verges  on  the  ludi- 
crous. 

After   visiting   these    stately   temples,    the   quiet 
209 


STAINED  GLffSS  TOTJES  IN"  FRANCE 

church  of  St.  Merri  appears  even  more  modest  and 
retiring  than  its  obscure  site  just  off  the  busy  quar- 
ter about  the  Hotel  De  Ville  really  renders  it.  In 
fact,  so  well  is  it  hidden  that  we  would  have  missed 
it  had  we  not  been  seeking  very  carefully.  The  win- 
dows here  are  more  interesting  than  beautiful  and 
their  effectiveness  has  been  impaired  in  several  ways. 
We  read  that  during  the  eighteenth  century  those  in 
charge  of  the  church,  after  careful  deliberation,  re- 
placed a  great  deal  of  the  coloured  by  white  glass, 
especially  in  the  nave,  where  they  removed  the  two 
central  lancets  of  each  group  of  four,  leaving  only 
the  upper  half  of  the  two  outer  ones.  Of  course,  the 
result  was  not  only  disastrous  to  the  window's  gen- 
eral effect,  but  entirely  extinguishes  any  warmth 
of  tone  in  such  glass  as  remains.  We  cannot  but  de- 
plore the  absence  of  the  abstracted  panes,  for  the  re- 
mains in  the  side  lancets  and  tracery  lights  evidence 
such  skill,  as  well  in  combination  of  tones  as  in 
drawing  (more  particularly  in  the  handling  of  per- 
spective), that  one  can  readily  imagine  what  harm 
has  been  done.  Even  the  few  scenes  that  are  left 
are  well  worth  inspection,  and  are  as  interesting  as 
any  of  this  epoch  in  Paris.  Notice  in  the  third  win- 
dow on  the  right,  the  way  in  which  the  landscape 
is  carried  back  until  it  ends  in  a  little  red-topped 
tower,  from  which  peer  out  two  heads.  Fortunately, 
these  deliberate  and  painstaking  vandals  spared  the 
glass  in  the  three  westerly  windows  on  each  side  of 

210 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

the  choir,  and  also  in  the  eastern  walls  of  the  tran- 
septs. The  panels  on  the  left,  showing  the  history  of 
Joseph,  are  better  than  their  neighbours  across  the 
choir. 

Of  the  sixteenth  century  glass  to  be  seen  in  Paris, 
this  much  can  be  said :  it  varies  markedly,  illustrates 
most  of  the  types  of  that  time,  and  is  therefore  very 
useful  in  preparing  us  for  the  tours  we  are  about  to 
take. 


211 


SIXTEENTH   CENTURY   TOURS 

We  shall  have  to  approach  the  subject  of  viewing 
sixteenth  century  glass  in  a  very  different  spirit  from 
that  in  which  we  undertook  the  tours  of  the  pre- 
ceding centuries.  We  can  no  longer  set  up  any  claim 
to  thoroughness.  If  our  pilgrim  visited  all  the  places 
recommended  in  our  thirteenth  century  excursions, 
as  well  as  those  for  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  cen- 
turies, he  can  rest  with  the  comfortable  assurance 
that  he  has  seen  about  all  of  the  really  good  glass  of 
those  periods.  Now  we  have  a  different  problem. 
There  has  survived  a  great  deal  more  glass  from  the 
sixteenth  century  than  from  all  the  preceding  ones 
combined.  lie  cannot  hope  to  see  it  all,  and  we 
will  have  to  limit  ourselves  to  sketching  out  for  him 
three  tours  covering  the  best — supplementing  these 
by  several  detached  cities,  so  that  if  the  glass  hunter 
happens  in  their  neighbourhood  he  will  not  overlook 
them.  He  will  find,  however,  some  compensations 
for  the  bewilderment  caused  by  the  great  quantity  of 
sixteenth  century  glass,  the  chief  of  which  is  that 
either  Rouen  or  Troyes  provides  in  its  many  churches 
a  complete  exposition  of  that  period's  style.  If  the 
pilgrim's  time  is  limited,  he  can  accomplish  more 
during  a  short  stay  in  those  two  cities  than  he  could 

212 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

upon  any  tour  which  might  be  outlined.  Two  other 
compensations  provided  by  this  abundance  of  ma- 
terial are — first,  that  there  is  a  great  deal  of  good 
glass  to  be  seen  in  Paris,  and  furthermore,  the  auto- 
mobilist  especially  will  delight  to  learn  that  there 
are  a  half-dozen  points  in  its  immediate  neighbour- 
hood which  offer  an  excellent  excuse  for  a  half-day's 
outing.  For  the  leisurely  traveller  who  has  both 
time  and  inclination,  we  will  arrange  three  tours; 
but  he  must  understand  that  although  they  will  pro- 
vide him  with  a  sight  of  the  best  sixteenth  century 
glass,  there  will  still  be  left  a  number  of  towns 
worth  visiting. 

Each  of  these  trips  will  begin  in  Paris.  On  Tour 
(a)  we  first  stop  at  Vincennes,  just  outside  the  forti- 
fications, then  on  to  Sens,  to  Troyes,  to  Chalons-sur- 
Marne  and  back  to  Paris.  Tour  (h)  takes  us  by 
way  of  Versailles  to  Montfort  PAmaury;  then  to 
that  perfect  shrine  of  Eenaissance  glass.  Conches; 
next  to  Pont-Audemer ;  then  across  the  Seine  by  boat 
to  Caudebec,  and  from  there  upstream,  by  the  in- 
teresting old  Abbey  of  St.  Wandrille  and  the  stately 
Jumieges  to  Rouen.  From  Rouen  we  run  out  to 
Grand  Andely,  Elbeuf  or  Pont  de  TArche  before 
we  push  up  the  river  Seine  to  Paris.  Tour  (c)  will 
particularly  recommend  itself  to  the  automobilist, 
and  most  of  the  points  are  quite  near  Paris.  We  go 
out  through  St.  Denis  to  the  town  of  Montmorency, 
then  through  the  wood  of  Montmorency  to  Ecouen, 

213 


STAIN^ED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

and  next  a  little  further  on  to  Chantilly.  From  there 
our  route  lies  across  to  Eeauvais,  and  back  to  Paris. 
As  stated  before,  several  of  the  towns  comprised  in 
these  three  tours  are  so  close  to  Paris  as  to  enable  a 
glass  lover  with  a  half-day  on  his  hands  to  pleasantly 
employ  it  in  a  short  excursion  by  train  or  automo- 
bile. Of  course,  if  he  travels  by  train  he  can  hardly 
hope  in  half  a  day  to  see  more  than  one  of  these. 
If,  however,  he  is  an  automobilist  and  therefore  un- 
trammelled by  timetables,  he  can  combine  several. 
For  example,  a  glance  at  the  map  will  reveal  that 
Ecouen,  Montmorency  and  Chantilly  are  so  close  to- 
gether that  an  automobilist  can  fit  them  into  one 
day.    A  word  of  warning  is  not  out  of  place  for  one 

about  to  visit  these  nearbv  towns.    He  must  be  care- 

■/ 

ful  to  ascertain  from  his  Baedeker  or  from  the  pub- 
lic prints,  upon  which  days  they  are  open  to  the 
public.  Montfort  FAmaury  and  Ecouen  can  be  seen 
any  day ;  Vincennes  and  Chantilly,  Thursdays  and 
Sundays,  etc.,  but  these  statistics  had  better  be  veri- 
fied in  the  manner  suggested  because  the  regulations 
are  changed  from  time  to  time.  There  are  three  very 
important  glass  shrines  which  are,  however,  so  lo- 
cated as  to  make  it  impossible  to  combine  them  into 
a  tour.  These  are  the  Cathedral  of  Auch  (down  in 
the  southwest  near  Toulouse),  the  chapel  of  the 
chateau  of  Champigny-sur-Veude  in  Touraine,  and 
the  famous  church  of  Brou  at  Bourg  in  Savoy.  The 
pilgrim  should  make  every  effort  to  see  them. 

214 


nBeauvais 

AEcouen  -» /-. 

CTMontmorency  V  V-halOns 

©PARIS 


o 

Bourg 


i6th  century  tours. 

(a)  VincetiHes,  Sens,  Troyes,  Chalons. 

(b)  Montfort  FA  niaury,  Conches,  Pont- A  udemer,  Caudebec,  Rouen,  {^Grana 
A ndely,  Elbeiif,  Pont  de  I' A  rche) . 

(c)  Montmorency,  Ecouen,  Chantilly  {St.  Quentin),  Beauvais. 
Also  separate  visits  to  Bourg,  Auch  and  Champigny-sur-l'eude. 

(For  table  of  distances,  see  page  2qs.) 


VIIsrCENNES 

ViNCENNEs  lies  so  close  to  Paris  that  it  can  be 
reached  by  an  electric  car  which  starts  from  the 
Louvre.  Its  sternly  forbidding  fortress  of  the  most 
approved  feudal  type,  and  the  delightful  park,  have 
been  the  scene  of  many  an  interesting  episode  in 
French  history.  In  the  old  forest  which  was  the 
predecessor  of  the  modern  park,  good  Louis  IX  was 
wont  to  seat  himself  beneath  an  oak  and  measure 
out  to  all  comers  that  even-handed  justice  which  sup- 
plied one  of  the  reasons  for  his  canonisation.  Often, 
on  our  travels,  we  have  noted  how  enthusiastically  he 
espoused  the  cause  of  stained  glass,  and,  therefore, 
w^e  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Glass  Lovers  should  feel  a 
sympathetic  glow  of  interest  whenever  we  happen 
upon  any  scene  hallowed  by  his  personality.  As  for 
the  castle,  perhaps  the  best  proof  of  its  great  strength 
is  its  sinister  record  of  having  served  during  many 
reigns  as  a  dungeon  for  prisoners  of  State.  Many 
are  the  great  names  on  its  roster  of  prisoners,  nor 
shall  we  wonder  it  was  chosen  for  that  purpose  after 
climbing  to  the  top  of  its  donjon  tower  and  remark- 
ing the  vast  thickness  of  its  walls  surrounded  by  the 

215 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FEANCE 

deep,  yawning  moat  that  isolates  it  from  the  smil- 
ing countryside.  It  is  with  a  feeling  of  relief  that 
we  turn  from  the  contemplation  of  such  a  subject 
to  the  delight  which  awaits  us  in  the  graceful  Gothic 
chapel  with  its  fine  vaultings,  set  off  by  the  superb 
set  of  windows  from  the  hand  of  that  great  master, 
Jean  Cousin.  Poor  windows,  they  have  suffered 
many  vicissitudes  since  their  completion  in  1558 ; 
it  was  not  enough  that  they  should  be  subjected  to 
the  ordinary  hazards  of  time — they  were  actually 
taken  out  of  their  settings  and  moved  away!  After 
an  interval  they  turned  up  in  1816  in  the  collection 
of  Lenoir.  Later  they  were  restored  to  their  original 
embrasures,  but  some  of  the  heads  and  limbs  having 
been  lost,  a  bungling  repairer  replaced  them  by  frag- 
ments from  other  panels.  Fortunately  for  us,  the 
last  restoration  in  1878  has  corrected  this  and  they 
are  now  in  condition  to  show  us  what  their  artist  in- 
tended to  set  forth.  Notwithstanding  the  glaring 
light  from  the  uncoloured  windows  to  the  west,  these 
stained  glass  pictures  are  so  delightful  in  tone  and 
drawing  as  to  give  us  a  very  high  opinion  of  Jean 
Cousin.  It  was  but  natural  that  he  should,  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  custom  of  his  time,  seize  this  op- 
portunity to  recommend  himself  to  royal  favour, 
and,  therefore,  we  must  not  criticise  him  for  putting 
Henry  II  attired  as  a  Knight  of  St.  Michael  in  one 
of  the  eastern  windows.  We  may,  however,  very 
properly  object  to  the  presence  of  the  royal  mistress, 

216 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

Diane  de  Poitiers,  among  the  Holy  Martyrs !  Henry 
II  must  have  lacked  a  keen  sense  of  humour,  or  the 
artist  might  have  run  some  risks  in  so  placing  the 
fair  Diane.  The  subjects  of  these  windows  are 
taken  from  the  stories  of  the  Apocalypse  and  allow 
the  artist  wide  scope  for  his  fancy,  of  which  he 
avails  himself  to  the  fullest  extent.  He  also  indulges 
in  several  daring  combinations  of  colour,  as  for  ex- 
ample, in  depicting  the  flames  in  the  panel  to  the 
right  of  the  central  one,  where  he  used  lilac,  yellow, 
brown  and  red,  and  each  colour  in  several  shades. 
Just  below,  in  his  shipwreck  picture,  he  again  rep- 
resents the  flames  in  the  same  bold  way.  Then,  too, 
there  is  a  distinctly  bluish  tone  to  his  enframing 
stone  canopies;  all  this  sounds  very  raw  and  harsh, 
but  the  general  effect  is  nevertheless  excellent.  This 
was  the  official  chapel  of  the  Order  of  the  Saint 
Esprit,  so  we  are  not  surprised  to  find  upon  some 
of  the  windows  knights  of  that  order  in  full  re- 
galia. Vincennes  is  perhaps  the  best  place  to  study 
Jean  Cousin  ;  certainly  far  better  than  his  birthplace. 
Sens,  which  we  next  visit.  There  the  cathedral  con- 
tains but  two  examples  of  his  skill,  but  they  are 
veritable  masterpieces. 


217 


SE:^^S 

Even  the  most  enthusiastic  admirer  of  Sens  could 
not  bring  himself  to  describe  that  city,  or  the  sur- 
rounding country,  as  picturesque.  The  latter  is 
monotonously  flat,  relieved  only  by  occasional  chalk 
ridges.  The  town  straggles  away  from  the  river 
Yonne  with  little  to  remind  us  of  its  former  glories 
except  the  cathedral  and  its  immediate  neighbour- 
hood. As  we  cross  the  bridge  near  the  railway  sta- 
tion we  will  remark  a  very  incongruous  service  which 
practical  science  has  exacted  from  a  relic  of  the  past. 
Kising  from  the  parapet  at  the  highest  point  of  the 
bridge  is  a  crucifix  up  the  back  of  which  runs  a  wire 
ending  over  the  head  of  Christ  in  an  incandescent 
electric  light !  When  we  passed  through  Sens  on  our 
earlier  trip  (see  page  77)  we  took  occasion  to  relate 
the  fateful  coincidence  which  took  place  in  the 
twelfth  century  when  representatives  from  all  parts 
of  Christian  Europe  came  there  to  visit  the  exiled 
Pope  just  in  time  to  see  William  of  Sens  completing, 
in  the  cathedral,  the  first  great  step  in  Gothic.  This 
coincidence  not  only  caused  the  rapid  spread  of  the 
new  style  of  architecture  to  every  part  of  the  Chris- 

218 


SIXTEENTH  CEN^TURY 

tian  world  represented  by  these  visiting  delegates, 
but  also  explains  why  Thomas  a  Becket,  then  sojourn- 
ing in  Sens,  selected  this  architect  to  rebuild  Canter- 
bury Cathedral  in  far-off  England.  Now  we  come 
to  a  sixteenth  century  tale  which  serves  to  show  that 
the  people  of  the  Middle  Ages  were  likewise  keenly 
interested  in  art  and  that  an  artist's  fame  travelled 
perhaps  even  more  widely,  all  things  considered,  than 
it  does  to-day.  The  beautifully  light  and  graceful 
transepts  at  Sens  were  built  by  Martin  Cambiche, 
who  was  also  the  architect  of  Beauvais  Cathedral 
and  likewise  drew  the  plans  for  the  west  front  of 
St.  Pierre  at  Troyes. 

Eirst  let  us  look  at  the  cathedral's  exterior.  When 
viewing  the  west  front  we  are  struck  by  the  appear- 
ance of  unusually  great  breadth,  due  partly  to  the 
construction  of  the  cathedral  itself  and  partly  to 
the  placing  of  the  Officialite  (a  thirteenth  century 
building)  which  has  its  greatest  length  extending  to 
the  south  level  with  the  cathedral's  west  front.  Note 
the  device  of  the  OfScialite's  architect  to  increase  the 
seeming  length  of  his  front  by  gradually  diminish- 
ing the  distances  between  his  buttresses.  Within  this 
fine  hall  St.  Louis  (Louis  IX)  was  betrothed.  This 
ponderous  appearance  of  breadth  resulting  from  the 
juxtaposition  of  these  two  buildings  might  have  pro- 
duced too  massive  an  effect  if  it  were  not  for  the  al- 
most coquettish  fashion  in  which  the  tower  rises  up 
at  the  cathedral's  southwest  corner,  giving  a  decided 

219 


STAi:^ED  GLASS  TOURS  IJST  FEANCE 

uplift  and  point  to  the  entire  fagade.  Although  the 
cathedral  has  far  fewer  windows  than  we  shall  see 
at  Troy^s  (because  its  triforium  is  not  pierced),  the 
lighting  here  is  almost  garish,  owing  to  the  fact  that 
the  clerestory  embrasures  are  glazed  only  in  grisaille. 
In  the  charming  transepts,  however,  we  obtain  what 
is  perhaps  the  ideal  lighting  sought  for  by  the  glass 
artist  of  the  sixteenth  century.  The  windows  are 
very  numerous  and  of  such  general  excellence  as 
to  render  these  the  best  glazed  transepts  in  France. 
They  have  not  only  unusually  ample  window  space 
in  their  sides,  but  have  also  large  low-reaching  panels 
below  the  big  rose  windows  which,  as  usual,  decorate 
the  upper  portion  of  the  end  walls.  So  generous  was 
this  architect  in  the  number  and  size  of  wall  aper- 
tures as  to  prove  how  greatly  he  esteemed  the  as- 
sistance of  the  glazier.  The  records  show  that 
those  in  charge  of  the  building  made  most  intelli- 
gent use  of  the  opportunity  provided  by  the  unusual 
amount  of  window  space.  They  sent  far  and  wide 
for  the  best  artists.  We  read  that  in  1500  they  sum- 
moned from  Troyes  three  master  glass  painters, 
Lyenin-Varin,  JeanVerrat  and  Balthazar  Godon,and 
turned  a  large  part  of  the  work  over  to  them.  These 
men  finished  their  task  in  three  years,  and  the  result 
amply  justifies  their  selection.  The  rose  windows 
are  especially  pleasing,  that  to  the  south  showing  the 
Last  Judgment  with  many  repetitions  of  the  Angel 
Gabriel,   and   that   to   the   north   a   most   charming 

220 


SOUTH  TRANSEPT,  SENS  (i6th   Century). 

The  Rose  is  n<nu  greatly  eiaborated,  its  lines  more  flo^ving,  and  its  position 
in  the  wall  beautified  by  the  graceful  adjustment  of  the  lancets  belo^v. 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

throng  of  angels  playing  upon  various  musical  in- 
struments, the  interweaving  of  the  glass  tones  being 
as  harmonious  as  befits  this  heavenly  choir.  The  best 
known  window  in  this  part  of  the  church  is  a  very 
brilliant  Tree  of  Jesse  with  a  red  background  bearing 
on  one  of  its  branches  the  celebrated  Grey  Jackass 
(a  familiar  figure  in  the  old  "Fete  des  Fous")  :  it 
is  at  the  north  end  of  the  east  wall  of  the  south  tran- 
sept. Of  the  beauty  of  these  transepts,  as  well  as  of 
the  way  in  which  their  architecture  and  glass  prove 
mutually  helpful,  too  much  cannot  be  said.  The 
most  famous  windows  in  the  church  are  two  by  Jean 
Cousin,  who,  although  born  in  this  city  in  1501,  is 
only  represented  in  his  home  cathedral  by  these  ex- 
amples. His  glorious  St.  Eutropius  is  in  the  third 
chapel  on  the  right  of  the  nave,  but  even  finer  still  is 
the  Tiburtine  Sibyl  in  the  Notre  Dame  de  Lorette 
chapel  on  the  right  side  of  the  choir  ambulatory.  It 
is  only  fair  to  this  second  window  to  say  that  it  was 
somewhat  damaged  during  the  siege  of  1814.  After 
inspecting  these  two  products  of  his  genius,  it  is  easy 
to  understand  why  Jean  Cousin  enjoyed  so  wide  a 
fame.  We  have  already  referred  to  the  splendid 
relies  of  the  twelfth  century  which  are  found  on  the 
other  side  of  the  choir  ambulatory.  The  result  of  this 
very  convenient  opportunity  to  compare  the  best  work 
of  the  twelfth  and  the  sixteenth  centuries  is  that 
we  are  sure  to  be  startled  by  the  difference  not  only 
in  results,  but  also  in  methods. 

221 


TROYES 

To-day  the  flat  country  of  the  ancient  province  of 
Champag-ne,  broken  only  by  occasional  ridges  of  the 
chalk  which  underlie  the  surface  to  the  great  ad- 
vantage of  its  famous  grapes,  affords  but  little  of 
interest  to  the  traveller  by  automobile,  and  has  only 
its  level  going  to  recommend  it  to  the  bicyclist.  There 
is  not  enough  traffic  on  its  roads  to  enliven  the 
monotony  of  the  journey.  ITow  different  must  it 
have  been  when  these  same  highways  teemed  with 
interesting  groups  from  every  rank  of  society,  all 
crowding  to  the  famous  fair  of  Troyes,  which  during 
the  Middle  Ages  was  the  bourne  of  so  many  tra- 
ders, knights  and  other  seekers  of  adventure  from 
all  parts  of  Christendom.  In  those  days  no  one 
would  have  had  leisure  to  notice  the  monotony  of 
the  scenery,  so  engrossed  would  he  have  been  in 
those  passing  crowds  made  up  of  every  nationality 
of  Europe,  all  repairing  to  this  great  mart  of  trade. 
During  those  halcyon  days  of  commercial  distinc- 
tion there  must  have  been  laid  broad  foundations  of 
cosmopolitan  tastes,  and  a  reflection  upon  those  times 
makes  it  easier  to  understand  why  so  many  artists 

222 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

should  later  have  been  born  citizens  of  that  stout 
burgh.  This  also  explains  why  so  large  a  number 
of  Flemish  and  Italian  artists  resorted  hither,  leav- 
ing marked  traces  of  their  influence.  This  pros- 
perity was  temporarily  checked  by  the  edict  of  Louis 
X  forbidding  the  Flemish  to  trade  at  its  fairs,  and 
the  absence  of  these  lowlanders  was  soon  followed  by 
that  of  the  Italians.  From  this  cause,  combined  with 
others,  the  fairs  lost  their  importance,  and  the  Hun- 
dred Years  War  coming  soon  after,  put  the  finishing 
touches  to  the  city's  decadence.  The  damaging  and 
dreary  years  of  the  English  occupation  were,  how- 
ever, enlivened  by  the  episode  of  the  marriage  of 
Henry  V  of  England  to  Catherine  of  France,  at- 
tended by  all  the  pomp  and  pageantry  that  would 
naturally  be  attracted  thither  by  so  notable  an  event. 
Troyes  did  not,  however,  recover  her  old  commercial 
prestige  until  just  before  the  beginning  of  the  six- 
teenth century.  Then  she  took  such  a  bound  for- 
ward as,  through  the  new  wealth  of  her  citizens,  to 
make  possible  that  encouragement  of  art  which  de- 
veloped the  unrivalled  school  of  glass  painters  soon 
to  make  her  famous  far  and  near.  In  fact,  so  wide- 
ly was  their  fame  spread  and  so  firmly  were  they 
established,  that  their  school  persisted  far  into  the 
seventeenth  century,  the  vigour  of  their  art  long 
outliving  that  of  most  of  the  other  French  glass  cen- 
tres. There  is  no  place  in  France  in  which  one  can 
better  see  examples  of  the  various  ramifications  of 

223 


STAIKED  GLASS  TOUES  I]S^  FRANCE 

the  sixteenth  century  style  in  glass.  We  have  here 
not  only  the  cathedral,  but  church  after  church  full 
of  the  work  of  the  best  masters.  We  shall  see  not 
only  the  picture  window  in  lively  colour,  but  also 
that  in  the  subdued  style  of  grey  and  yellow  stain, 
to  which  we  have  alluded  before.  Furthermore,  in 
the  Library  there  is  a  series  of  historical  panels 
which  is  not  excelled  anywhere,  the  secular  topics  of 
the  scenes  giving  an  excellent  opportunity  to  show 
costumes  and  manners  of  the  times.  Nor  must  one 
confine  oneself  within  the  exact  limits  of  the  six- 
teenth century,  because  we  have  noted  that  here 
the  style  of  that  century  extended  practically  im- 
changed  far  into  the  next.  We  shall  begin  when  the 
style  begins  and  we  shall  follow  it  as  long  as  its 
healthy  life  continues.  Of  the  numerous  churches 
in  Troyes,  those  which  chiefly  interest  the  glass 
student  are  the  Cathedral,  St.  Urbain,  St.  Jean,  St. 
Nizier,  La  Madeleine,  St.  Pantaleon,  St.  Nicolas, 
and  St.  Martin-es-Vignes.  Besides  these  churches, 
there  is  also  the  Library  to  be  visited  for  its  series 
of  windows  devoted  to  civic  subjects.  For  a  descrip- 
tion of  that  Gothic  eggshell,  St.  Urbain,  turn  back 
to  page  82,  where  will  also  be  found  an  account  of 
the  splendid  thirteenth  century  glass  that  makes  the 
choir  of  the  Cathedral  so  glorious. 

Let  us  begin  our  stroll  about  the  town  by  a  visit 
to  St.  Jean.  It  w^ould  be  difficult  for  a  church  to 
more  completely  preserve  its  mediaeval  appearance 

224 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

than  this  one.  Besides,  the  way  in  which  it  is  tucked 
in  between  two  crooked,  narrow  old  streets  conforms 
to  the  most  approved  rules  of  stage  setting.  Its 
quaint,  irregular  exterior  makes  it  appear  a  pictur- 
esque medley  of  three  or  four  churches  of  varying 
size,  while  its  ancient  belfry  perched  on  one  side  like 
a  feather  in  a  cap  lends  the  ensemble  an  almost 
jaunty  air.  The  altar  before  which  Louis  II  was 
crowned  and  Henry  V  of  England  married,  has  been 
removed  to  the  east  and  placed  in  the  more  modern 
Lady  Chapel.  We  get  an  interesting  hint  of  the 
great  value  attached  to  stained  glass  when  we  learn 
that  the  original  of  a  window  on  the  right  side  of  the 
nave  clerestory  (showing  the  coronation  of  Louis 
II)  was  demanded  as  part  of  the  ransom  of  Francis 
I  when  he  was  captured  at  the  Battle  of  Pavia.  This 
original  window  is  said  to  be  somewhere  in  Spain. 
The  axis  of  the  choir  slants  quite  noticeably  from 
that  of  the  nave,  and  the  priests  say  that  this  slant 
is  intended  to  symbolise  the  inclination  of  the  head 
of  Christ  on  the  Cross  after  His  death.  We  notice 
the  same  difference  in  axis,  as  well  as  the  same  tra- 
dition, at  Quimper,  but  we  there  learned  that  the 
true  explanation  was  not  so  poetic.  Here  also  we 
are  obliged  to  reject  the  quaint  legend  of  the  priests ; 
the  municipal  improvements  after  the  great  fire 
which  ravaged  the  city  in  1524,  necessitated  the  rec- 
tification of  the  street  line,  and  the  north  side  of  the 
choir  had  to  be  slanted  to  conform  thereto.    The  glass 

226 


STAINED  GLASS  TOUES  IN  FEANCE 

is  in  many  ways  of  interest,  but  has  been  a  good  deal 
mutilated.  That  in  the  nave  has  suffered  most,  but 
fortunately  much  of  its  beauty  remains.  Notice  the 
admirable  Judgment  of  Solomon  on  the  south  side. 
In  the  choir  and  in  its  chapels  we  shall  get  a  real 
taste  of  the  Troyes  glass  school,  some  of  the  windows 
being  excellent,  especially  that  of  the  brothers  Gon- 
thier,  showing  the  Marriage  Feast  at  Cana,  the  Manna 
in  the  Desert,  etc.  In  many  of  the  churches  in  this 
city  we  shall  observe  paintings  hung  upon  the  walls, 
and  two  of  those  which  decorate  this  sanctuary  will 
serve  to  remind  us  that  Pierre  Mignard,  the  great 
l^ainter  of  Louis  XIV,  was  born  here. 

Another  ancient  church,  and  one  much  richer  in 
glass,  is  St.  Nizier.  Its  original  glazing  had  re- 
mained practically  intact  until  in  August,  1901,  when 
a  most  unusual  calamity  overcame  some  of  it.  An 
anarchist  exploded  a  bomb  in  a  chapel  on  the  north 
of  the  choir.  We  have  observed  what  our  poor  friend 
has  had  to  endure  in  many  places,  but  to  be  shat- 
tered by  an  anarchistic  explosion  seems  a  most  in- 
congruous fate.  It  is,  however,  a  pleasant  surprise 
to  find  how  little  damage  was  done  by  this  act  of 
vandalism.  The  finest  window  is  undoubtedly  that 
which  adorns  the  south  transept  and  shows  Religion 
overcoming  Heresy.  The  central  one  in  the  choir 
(the  Virgin  Mary  and  the  Apostles  receiving  the 
Holy  Ghost)  is  by  the  celebrated  Macadre  of  Troyes, 
but  the  writer  finds  its  effect  injured  by  the  fact 

226 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

that  the  artist  (probably  to  indicate  that  the  side 
panels  are  to  be  considered  in  conjunction  with  the 
central  one)  allows  the  hands  of  certain  figures  at 
the  side  to  extend  over  upon  the  central  panel.  This 
century  surely  went  far  enough  in  its  disregard  for 
the  delimiting  duties  of  the  leads,  but  when  we  find 
an  artist  so  careless  of  the  properties  of  his  materials 
as  to  put  a  hand  over  on  the  other  side  of  a  stone  mul- 
lion,  it  would  seem  that  the  limit  had  been  exceeded. 
The  most  ancient  of  all  the  Troyes  churches  is 
La  Madeleine.  It  contains  a  marvellous  jube  arch 
swung  in  air  between  the  two  western  columns  of 
the  choir.  Although  of  stone,  the  workmanship  is 
so  delicate  and  lace-like  that  we  are  not  surprised 
that  the  epitaph  of  its  builder  buried  below  used  to 
read  that  he  calmly  awaited  the  Judgment  Day  with 
no  fear  of  the  stone  arch  falling  upon  him.  The 
glass  around  the  choir  is  excellent,  but  we  must  go 
to  the  Lady  Chapel  to  see  the  best.  On  the  right  is  a 
Tree  of  Jesse,  remarkable  for  the  number  of  figures 
it  contains.  The  east  window  is  the  gift  of  the 
Jewellers'  Guild,  which  fact  is  carefully  set  forth 
thereon.  To  the  left  is  a  fine  example  of  glass- 
making,  but  in  addition  to  that,  because  of  the  treat- 
ment of  its  subject,  it  is  as  interesting  as  one  will 
often  find.  Beginning  at  the  lower  left-hand  comer 
and  reading  to  the  right,  are  a  series  of  scenes  de- 
picting the  creation  of  the  world,  Garden  of  Eden, 
etc.     The  imagination  of  the  artist  set  forth  the 

22T 


STAIKED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

creation  of  the  world  in  a  manner  surprisingly  close 
to  the  latest  theories  of  modern  science.  He  starts 
with  a  round  glowing  ball  of  matter  which,  by  means 
of  rotation  upon  its  axis,  develops  in  the  succeeding 
pictures,  first,  a  more  symmetrical  shape,  and  then 
the  appearance  of  land,  formation  of  continents,  etc., 
etc.  On  the  left  of  each  of  these  scenes  stands  the 
figure  of  Jehovah,  in  a  costume  resembling  that  of  a 
high  priest.  There  is  hardly  a  window  in  France 
that  tells  as  much  or  is  more  interesting  in  the  tell- 
ing than  this  one. 

Now  we  come  to  a  style  that  is  better  shown  here 
than  anywhere  else — the  picture  window  composed 
of  grey  and  occasionally  some  flesh  tints,  with 
touches  of  yellow  stain  to  relieve  it.  Two  churches 
are  entirely  glazed  in  this  manner — St.  Pantaleon 
and  St.  Nicolas.  The  latter,  it  is  true,  has  one  or 
two  of  its  upper  windows  in  colour,  but  the  general 
effect  is  that  of  a  church  glazed  in  grey  and  stain. 
Of  course,  these  two  interiors,  because  of  this  glaz- 
ing, are  very  brilliantly  lighted,  and  in  the  opinion 
of  the  A^Titer,  much  too  brilliantly.  This  method 
proved  very  felicitous  when  devoted  to  domestic  pur- 
poses (as  found  towards  the  end  of  this  century  and 
during  the  early  part  of  the  next),  but  for  a  religious 
edifice,  although  interesting,  it  is  doubtful  if  it  is 
beautiful  or  suitable.  There  are  some  unusual  archi- 
tectural features  to  be  found  in  both  these  churches. 
St.  Nicolas  has  a  very  graceful  stone  gallery  ex- 

228 


•V     V  -- -       ^'Lf^    % 


flfs     <»^:*     '^ 


^*v?*?^^*'     P^«-.MI     MHSffKr*-*'  * 


"CREATION"   WINDOW,   LA   MADELEINE, 
TROYES  (i6th  Century). 

Read  front  left  to  right,  beginning  with  lo7vest  tier.  Earth 
ez'olved/rom  chaos,  sho^vii  by  gloxvittg  yellow  ball  revolving  on 
its  axis;  birth  of  Eve,  etc.  Tracery  Lights  above  are  becoming 
simpler  inform  as  elaborate  Gothic  gives  ivay  to  Renaissance. 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

tending  across  the  western  end  approached  by  a  grad- 
ually bending  staircase,  the  supports  of  which  are  of 
admirable  design.  St.  Pantaleon  can  hardly  be  said 
to  be  attractive.  The  interior  is  too  high  and  too 
glaringly  lighted,  but  it  affords  the  best  opportunity 
to  study  this  grey  and  stain  style.  Notice  that  freely 
as  is  the  yellow  stain  used  to  enliven  the  monotony 
of  the  greys,  it  does  not  succeed  in  producing  the 
charming  silvery  tone  yielded  by  the  canopy  win- 
dow of  the  two  preceding  centuries.  Here  and  there 
one  observes  an  attempt  to  modify  the  ultra-yellow- 
ish grey  tone  by  introducing  blues  into  the  borders. 
The  falseness  of  style  everywhere  noticeable  reaches 
its  climax  in  a  gallery  on  the  left  near  the  entrance, 
containing  two  stone  figures  which  appear  to  be  look- 
ing down  from  it.  Do  not  fail  to  visit  St.  Pantaleon 
in  order  to  study  its  unusual  glazing,  but  do  so  out 
of  curiosity  and  not  expecting  beauty,  or  you  will 
be  disappointed.  Its  lack  of  charm  will,  however, 
prove  useful  if  you  go  straight  on  from  here  to  the 
Cathedral,  for  by  contrast  it  will  intensify  your  ap- 
preciation of  the  sympathetic  assistance  which  the 
wealth  of  colour  there  lends  to  the  splendid  archi- 
tectural effect  of  the  interior.  We  have  already  taken 
our  reader  to  inspect  the  thirteenth  century  glass 
around  the  choir,  but  now  we  will  have  him  stop  in 
the  nave  to  see  the  work  which  the  sixteenth  century 
produced.  One  immediately  notices  the  particular- 
ly clear  fresh  colouring  of  the  glass,  and  this,  com- 

229 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FEANCE 

bined  with  its  great  quantity  (for  the  pierced  tri- 
foriuin  permits  an  additional  row  of  windows  be- 
sides the  clerestory  above  and  the  aisles  below),  pro- 
duces an  impression  which  is  so  unique,  and  so  dis- 
tinctive, that  it  always  lingers  in  the  memory.  The 
rather  unpleasant  contrast  noticed  at  Bourges  be- 
tween the  depth  and  the  warmth  of  the  thirteenth 
century  and  the  lighter  tones  of  the  later  glass  is  for- 
tunately absent  from  Troyes.  The  reason  for  this 
is  the  unusually  rich  colour  of  the  later  windows. 
From  so  many  excellent  ones  it  is  difficult  to  select 
a  few  to  mention,  but  we  particularly  commend  the 
fourth  on  the  right  (a  Tree  of  Jesse)  and  the  one 
in  the  fourth  chapel  on  the  left,  Linard  Gonthier's 
famous  Wine  Press.  The  Tree  of  Jesse  is  not  only 
a  beautiful  example  of  its  type,  but  is  rather  out  of 
the  ordinary  because  it  has  a  red  instead  of  a  blue 
background.  Upon  this  window,  as  well  as  on  most 
of  the  others,  are  to  be  seen  the  donors,  their  coats-of- 
arms,  and  other  interesting  sixteenth  century  fea- 
tures. Gonthier's  Wine  Press  is  so  well  known  as 
hardly  to  call  for  a  word  of  description.  Christ  is 
stretched  out  in  the  press,  His  blood  running  into  a 
chalice,  while  from  His  breast  springs  a  vine  spread- 
ing over  the  window,  bearing  as  its  blossoms  the 
twelve  x\postles.  Although  this  window  is  dated 
1625,  it  is  in  the  best  style  of  the  sixteenth  century 
and  shows  no  tendency  towards  decadence  in  either 
drawing  or  colouring.     Before  leaving  the  interior, 

230 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

notice  an  odd  architectural  device  in  the  north  rose. 
This  window  is  of  the  wheel  type  and  has  a  support- 
ing column  running  up  through  it  as  far  as  its  mid- 
dle, suggesting  a  gigantic  pinwheel.  There  is  a  sim- 
ilar supporting  column  in  the  north  rose  at  Tours, 
but  there  it  runs  straight  up  through  the  window  to 
the  top,  and  unfortunately  is  too  heavily  and  solidly 
built. 

Nearly  all  mediaeval  glass  was  adorned  with  re- 
ligious subjects,  and  therefore  we  have  an  un- 
usual treat  when  we  visit  the  large  hall  of  the  Li- 
brary and  examine  the  thirty-two  panels  that  fill  its 
eight  large  windows.  They  are  from  the  hand  of 
Linard  Gonthier,  and  the  scenes  are  commemorative 
of  the  visit  to  Troyes  of  Henry  IV  in  1595.  Very 
charming,  indeed,  are  these  pictures  of  the  life  and 
pageants  of  the  time.  There  are  many  familiar  little 
touches,  such  as  a  small  boy  being  pushed  off  into 
the  water  by  the  crowd,  etc.  Some  of  the  panels  are 
also  rich  in  armorial  bearings. 

We  have  purposely  delayed  until  the  last  any 
reference  to  St.  Martin-es-Vignes  because  it  was  en- 
tirely glazed  at  the  time  when  the  Troyes  sixteenth 
century  school,  although  still  worthy  of  its  traditions, 
was  about  reaching  its  end.  This  glass  is  uniformly 
good  and  provides  a  most  pleasing  interior,  obviously 
relying  for  its  effect  upon  the  glazing.  The  dating  is 
that  of  the  earlier  years  of  the  seventeenth  century. 
If  we  examine  the  windows  too  closely  we  easily  find 

231 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

indications  of  a  decadence  of  style.  For  instance, 
the  second  on  the  left  gives  so  much  importance  to 
the  kneeling  donors  that,  although  we  cannot  deny 
the  excellence  of  the  work,  we  must  strongly  criticise 
the  taste  which  made  them  so  prominent  a  feature. 
Regarded  as  a  whole,  however,  the  result  in  this 
church  is  so  excellent  that  it  clearly  proves  what  we 
have  before  stated,  viz. :  the  virility  and  strength  of 
the  glassmaker's  art  at  Troves  outlasted  that  of  most 
of  the  contemporary  French  schools. 


CHALONS-SUE-MAEKE 

Before  paying  our  second  visit  here  to  examine 
the  sixteenth  century  windows,  let  us  turn  back  to 
page  87  and  refresh  our  memory  by  glancing  through 
the  account  of  our  thirteenth  century  trip  to  this 
city.  We  shall  thus  be  reminded  of  the  modestly 
retiring  beauty  of  its  small  parks,  as  well  as  of  its 
cathedral  and  two  fine  churches.  Every  style  of  six- 
teenth century  glass  is  to  be  found  in  Chalons,  but 
for  all  that  it  would  hardly  be  selected  as  one  of  the 
best  places  in  which  to  compare  them.  The  small 
church  of  St.  Alpin  has  in  its  nave  a  series  of  ex- 
cellent windows  of  yellow  stain  and  grey  such  as 
we  noticed  in  St.  Pantaleon  and  St.  !N"icolas  at 
Troyes.  In  those  two  churches  the  relatively  great 
window  space  exposes  the  weakness  of  this  style  by 
demonstrating  that  in  large  interiors  it  makes  the 
light  glaring.  By  contrast,  in  St.  Alpin,  where  the 
nave  ceiling  is  low  and  the  window  apertures  small, 
this  method  of  glazing,  by  admitting  a  great  deal  of 
light,  produces  a  very  happy  effect.  In  this  St.  Alpin 
glass  there  are  marked  traces  of  Italian  taste,  more 
so  than  in  that  at  Troyes,  though  the  latter  is  com- 

233 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

monly  credited  with  being  the  most  noticeably  af- 
fected by  foreign  influence.  The  first  one  on  the 
right,  showing  St.  Alpin  before  Attila,  is  delightful, 
every  advantage  having  been  taken  of  the  softness 
of  tone  which  is  the  chief  merit  of  this  particular 
treatment.  Some  of  the  others  are  also  good,  but  the 
one  just  mentioned  is  the  best.  Around  the  choir  are 
interesting  coloured  panels,  but  so  broken  up  into 
small  scenes  as  to  be  rendered  ineffective.  The  hand- 
some church  of  Notre  Dame  does  not,  in  its  win- 
dows, fulfill  the  promise  of  its  architecture.  A  great 
deal  of  the  glass  is  new,  and  much  of  the  old  is  muti- 
lated, but  in  the  lower  row  on  the  left  side  of  the 
nave  there  are  several  brilliant  examples  of  what  the 
sixteenth  century  Champagne  school  could  accom- 
plish in  the  picture  window.  Especially  vigor- 
ous and  striking  is  the  first  on  the  left,  showing  St. 
James  encouraging  the  Spaniards  to  defeat  the 
Moors.  It  is  as  good  a  battle  picture  in  glass  as  one 
will  find.  In  the  fifth  on  the  left  (a  Crucifixion 
scene)  we  note  a  trick  often  observed  in  this  prov- 
ince, for  the  little  golden  stars  are  separately  leaded 
into  the  blue  sky.  Passing  on  to  the  Cathedral,  dis- 
appointment awaits  us.  On  our  former  visit  we 
found  it  so  fruitful  and  interesting  in  thirteenth  cen- 
tury glass  that  we  had  a  right  to  expect  more  than 
is  yielded  by  the  inspection  of  the  row  of  sixteenth 
century  windows  which  extend  along  the  lower  right 
side  of  the  nave.    The  canopies  in  the  sixth  one  b^- 

234 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

tray  that  it  is  fifteenth  century,  but  all  the  others 
are  later.  The  first  on  the  right  is  the  most  interest- 
ing of  this  series,  although  it  is  the  poorest  in  execu- 
tion. On  eleven  of  its  compartments  are  represented 
scenes  from  the  Creation,  Garden  of  Eden,  etc., 
wherein  certain  quaint  conceits  are  noticeable.  Un- 
fortunately its  many  nudes  are  very  poorly  drawn 
and  the  glass  used  is  mediocre  in  quality.  We  can 
here  clearly  see  that,  although  the  artist  of  this  period 
was  saved  a  great  deal  of  lead  work  by  his  large  pieces 
of  glass,  their  use  required  him  to  select  sheets  of 
evener  tone  and  better  quality  than  in  the  days  when 
his  pieces  were  much  smaller. 


MONTFORT  UAMAURY 

An  agreeable  route  from  Paris  to  Conches,  etc., 
is  by  way  of  Montfort  TAmaury,  which  lies  beyond 
Versailles,  just  off  the  main  road  to  Dreux,  and 
45  kilometres  distant  from  Paris.  If  the  pilgrim  is 
travelling  by  train  or  if  he  wishes  to  go  straight  from 
Paris  to  Conches,  he  should  then  postpone  until  an- 
other occasion  his  visit  to  Montfort  TAmaury,  and 
will  thus  keep  in  store  for  himself  a  very  pleasant 
half-day  automobile  excursion.  The  object  of  the 
visit  proves  to  be  a  small  church  which  has  preserved 
its  sixteenth  century  glazing  practically  intact. 
Nothing  could  be  more  simple  than  its  ground  plan, 
for  there  are  no  transepts,  no  chapels,  simply  one 
long  building  rounded  at  the  east  end,  whose  shape 
suggests  that  of  a  man's  thumb.  While  we  must  not 
expect  to  find  so  splendid  a  glass  series  as  at  Conches, 
neither  must  we  fail  to  appreciate  that  here  is  a 
church  with  thirty-three  windows,  all  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  and  in  excellent  state  of  preservation.  As 
we  enter  by  the  small  south  portal  the  effect  that 
meets  our  eye  is  most  agreeable.  Closer  inspection 
of  the  windows  unfortunately  reveals  that  they  vary 

236 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

markedly  in  quality  and  are  evidently  the  work  of 
different  artists.  It  cannot  be  denied  that  many  of 
them  are  commonplace,  although  none  is  really 
poor.  Their  dating  helps  to  explain  this  mediocrity, 
for  they  were  constructed  towards  the  end  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  at  a  time  when  our  art  was  hur- 
rying into  decadence.  The  few  earlier  ones,  and  espe- 
cially that  dated  1544,  are  the  best.  The  latter  is 
the  eighth  on  the  left  and  depicts  Jesus  being  shown 
to  the  people.  Another,  the  third  on  the  left,  tells 
the  story  of  Joseph,  and  is  an  obvious  example  of  the 
Italian  influence  so  prevalent  during  that  epoch.  The 
scene  in  which  he  is  escaping  from  Potiphar's  wife 
is  almost  an  exact  copy  from  Raphael.  We  must  not 
fail  to  remark  the  third  from  the  eastern  end,  in 
which  the  Holy  Ghost  is  descending  upon  the  as- 
sembled disciples  in  the  form  of  a  shower  of  golden 
tongues.  The  grouping  of  the  figures,  the  play  of 
the  colours,  and  the  richness  lent  by  these  touchea 
of  gold,  all  combine  to  make  a  brilliant  picture.  The 
second  to  the  right  of  this  contains  the  Falling  of 
Manna  in  the  Wilderness,  but  as  the  tones  used  here 
are  much  lower,  and  the  manna  is  depicted  as  a  rain 
of  white  spots,  the  window,  as  a  whole,  is  much 
quieter  than  the  one  just  described.  In  the  church 
at  Montfort  TAmaury  an  instructive  light  is  thrown 
upon  the  obtrusive  appearance  of  donors  so  fre- 
quently found  during  the  sixteenth  century.  We 
know  that  the  figures  are  often  so  large  as  to  be 

237 


STAi:NrED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

positively  obnoxious,  but  it  is  here  demonstrated  be- 
yond doubt  that  the  artist  worked  very  much  more 
carefully  upon  these  portraits  than  upon  the  rest  of 
his  window.  There  are  few  places  where  this  can 
be  more  conveniently  studied,  and  for  this  reason  our 
visit  has  been  a  useful  one,  even  though  the  glass  be 
of  a  class  a  little  below  the  best. 


238 


CONCHES 

TiiEKE  are  four  modest  shrines  to  which  every 
glass  lover  should  contrive  to  repair,  no  matter  what 
may  be  the  difficulties  in  the  way  nor  how  much  time 
it  may  take.  Of  these  four,  one  at  Fairford  (near 
Oxford)  is  in  England,  while  the  other  three  are 
in  France,  and  are  the  Ste.  Chapelle  in  Paris,  the 
village  church  at  Ey  moutiers  and  Ste.  Eoy  at  Conches. 
In  each  we  find  the  church  completely  glazed 
in  one  period  and,  furthermore,  with  the  best  glass 
then  procurable.  The  scene  that  to-day  meets  our 
eye  in  each  of  these  small  sanctuaries  is  practically 
the  same  that  rewarded  the  artist  the  day  he  com- 
pleted his  work.  We  have  frequently  had  occasion 
on  our  tours  to  notice  how  much  certain  glass  would 
have  been  improved  if  contrasting  windows  could 
but  be  removed  from  the  edifice,  or  the  edifice  itself 
in  some  way  changed.  There  will  be  no  need  for 
any  such  mental  correction  of  the  picture  when  we 
visit  Conches.  Here,  after  you  have  closed  the  door 
on  the  twentieth  century  life  outside,  you  feel  that 
you  have  turned  back  the  finger  of  time  and  are  liv- 
ing in  the  days  of  that  eloquent  beauty  which  speaks 
out  to  you  from  its  windows.  Perhaps  nowhere  else 
will  you  get  the  wonderful  accord  of  tone  with  tone 

239 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  m  FEANCE 

and  hue  with  hue  that  makes  the  colour  at  Conches 
so  radiantly  lovely.  We  find  ourselves  in  a  very  sim- 
ple church  about  twice  as  long  as  broad,  the  only  de- 
parture from  its  rectangular  plan  being  a  small  five- 
sided  chapel  which  projects  from  its  eastern  end. 
There  is  nothing  to  aid  the  glass  in  its  service  of 
making  splendid  the  interior.  In  fact,  one  might  add 
that  there  is  nothing  which  dares  insult  it  by  an 
offer  of  so  obviously  unnecessary  assistance.  Practi- 
cally all  the  windows  are  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and 
they  are  so  fine  that  it  seems  unfair  to  call  particular 
attention  to  the  elaborate  set  designed  by  Aldegrevers, 
a  ])upil  of  Albrecht  Diirer.  These  fill  the  seven  tall 
windows  of  two  lancets  each,  which  light  the  eastern 
chapel  and  are  dated  1520.  Of  the  forty-two  sub- 
jects upon  these  windows,  those  in  the  upper  range 
show  scenes  from  the  life  of  Christ  and  those  in  the 
lower  from  that  of  Ste.  Sophia.  It  is  unfair  to 
describe  them;  they  should  be  seen.  At  this  point 
we  may  comment  that  although  it  is  occasionally 
possible  to  convey  some  idea  of  an  individual  panel 
by  technical  description,  it  is  useless  to  attempt,  by 
means  of  words,  to  give  a  reader  a  just  conception  of 
such  an  interior  as  the  glass  produces  at  Conches. 
JBeside  these  by  Aldegrevers  there  are  eighteen  others 
whose  dates,  running  from  1540  to  1553,  show  them 
to  be  of  slightly  later  construction.  In  the  fourth 
on  the  right  the  allegorical  subject  contains  an  un- 
usual   detail.      A   group    of    figures    represent   the 

240 


SIXTEENTH  CE:^rTURY 

Liberal  Arts,  and  among  them,  Music:  upon  her 
insignia  appears  a  musical  phrase  expressed  in  proper 
notation.  This  representation  of  written  music  upon 
glass  is  extremely  rare.  We  shall  see  another  of  the 
very  infrequent  instances  when  we  visit  Caudebec. 
Among  the  finest  windows  is  the  fifth  on  the  right, 
which  represents  the  allegory  of  the  Wine  Press. 
Here  the  subject  is  not  treated  in  the  usual  gruesome 
fashion.  It  is  not  the  blood  of  Christ  which  serves 
as  the  wine  but,  instead,  the  juice  of  grapes  which 
He  is  crushing  in  the  press.  Throughout  all  these 
windows  the  distant  landscapes  are  depicted  in  much 
more  convincing  colouring  than  is  usually  found  at 
this  time.  This  seems  due  to  the  fact  that  the  light 
blue  glass  used  for  that  purpose  is  left  clearof  all  paint 
except  that  needed  for  delineation.  Elsewhere  these 
blue  backgrounds  often  have  so  much  paint  upon 
them  as  to  be  rendered  partly  opaque  and  therefore 
incapable  of  simulating  the  depth  necessary  for  great 
distances.  In  strength  as  well  as  in  judicious  com- 
bination of  a  surprisingly  wide  range  of  colours, 
their  century  can  show  few  examples  to  rival  these. 
Not  only  is  their  value  enhanced  by  the  simplicity 
of  the  interior  which  they  decorate,  and  which,  there- 
fore, has  nothing  to  distract  our  attention  from  their 
beauty,  but  this  very  beauty  is  made  all  the  more  im- 
pressive by  the  sharp  contrast  provided  by  the  dull- 
ness of  the  little  town  outside  and  the  plain  exterior 
of  the  church  which  it  so  glorifies. 

241 


PONT-AUDEMEE 

The  church  of  St.  Ouen  at  Pont-Audemer  will 
always  have  for  the  ^vriter  that  peculiar  charm  of 
almost  proprietary  right  which  the  discoverer  is  sure 
to  feel  in  something  upon  which  he  has  happened  un- 
expectedly. On  his  way  through  the  town  he  saw 
the  church,  and  having  noticed  from  the  outside  that 
the  windows  contained  stained  glass,  he  stopped  and 
went  in,  undeterred  by  the  positively  dishevelled  look 
of  the  unfinished  and  dismantled  west  front.  A 
delightful  surprise  awaited  him.  Around  the  walls 
of  the  nave,  the  space  usually  occupied  by  the  tri- 
forium  gallery  here  becomes  a  broad  frieze  so  ex- 
quisitely carved  in  Gothic  patterns  as  seemingly  to 
drape  the  walls  with  lace.  In  fact,  you  hardly 
notice  the  unfinished  condition  of  the  upper  part  of 
the  church,  so  engrossed  are  you  in  this  very  unusual 
feature,  one  of  which  any  cathedral  in  France  might 
be  proud.  And  in  the  embrasures  below,  what  a 
gallery  of  harmonious  glass!  Not  only  are  the  in- 
dividual windows  excellent,  but  they  harmonise  so 
well  as  to  make  one  feel  that  each  artist  must  have 
been  at  the  greatest  pains  to  make  his  work  con- 

242 


SIXTEEN^TH  CENTURY 

tribute  to  and  not  interfere  with  the  general  scheme. 
It  is  for  the  glass  hunter  a  treasure  trove  to  find  a 
church  which  has  preserved  a  complete  glazing  of 
one  period,  but  to  have  the  windows  all  good,  and 
better  still,  in  such  charming  accord  with  each  other, 
makes  the  occasion  of  his  visit  to  Pont-Audemer  a 
red-letter  day.     The  ground  plan  of  the  church  is 
somewhat  broken  up,  but  even  that  seems  but  to 
add  to  the  charm  of  the  interior.     The  first  win- 
dow to  the  left  in  what  might  be  called  the  choir  am- 
bulatory is  not  only  the  best  but  by  far  the  most  in- 
teresting.    Without  any  definite  division  of  its  sur- 
face into  panels,  the  whole  picture  seems  to  grace- 
fully resolve  itself  into  four  contrasting  scenes  from 
the  Old  and  the  I^ew  Testament,  entitled  "Devant  la 
Loy,"  "Soubz  la  Loy,"  "Devant  la  Grace,"  ''Soubz 
la  Grace."     The  effect  of  clouds  in  the  sky  is  very 
elaborately  worked  out,  while  here  and  there  between 
them    peep    forth    the    head    and    wings    of    little 
cherubs — it  is  really  very  engaging.     Possibly  the 
over-captious  visitor  may  consider  the  combination 
of  small   heads   and   surrounding  clouds   somewhat 
reminiscent  of  the  buttons  holding  down  upholstery, 
but  such  a  carping  critic  should  be  packed  off  about 
his  ill-tempered  business !    In  a  window  on  the  right 
side  of  the  nave  the  donors  are  ranged  along  a  little 
gallery  in  the  lowest  panel.     This  method  has  in  its 
favour  that  it  does  not  present  them  as  intruders  on 
the  picture,  so  often  the  case  in  this  century.     We 

243 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  m  FRANCE 

carry  away  with  us  a  charming  impression  of  the 
service  rendered  by  the  glass  in  toning  the  light  for 
the  graceful  stone  carvings  on  the  nave  walls.  The 
effect  is  unique. 

On  the  outskirts  of  the  town  there  is  a  small 
church,  St.  Germain,  whose  east  window  is  an  agree- 
able example  of  fifteenth  century  canopy  work. 


244 


CAUDEBEC-EN^-CAUX 

Our  way  from  Pont-Audemer  lies  for  some  little 
distance  through  the  large  Foret  de  Brotomie,  one  of 
those  tidy  symmetrical  woods  produced  by  the  ex- 
cellent system  of  French  forestry.  Its  excellence, 
however,  is  largely  practical,  for  all  the  charm  of 
the  "forest  primeval"  is  pruned  away.  On  reaching 
the  banks  of  the  Seine  we  find  ourselves  in  full  view 
of  the  pretty  tovm  of  Caudebec,  its  graceful  cathe- 
dral spire  beckoning  us  across  the  water.  It  is  just 
at  this  point  in  the  river  that  there  occurs  the  Mas- 
caret,  the  local  name  given  to  a  swift-rushing  wave 
produced  by  the  conflict  between  the  incoming  tide 
and  the  outgoing  current  of  the  river ;  it  takes  place 
only  at  stated  intervals  and  is  then  viewed  by  numer- 
ous tourists.  Assuming  that  we  have  arrived  at  a 
time  when  the  Mascaret  is  not  interfering  with  navi- 
gation, we  embark  upon  a  flat,  open  ferry-boat  and 
soon  reach  the  bank  on  the  other  side  and  are  off 
to  the  cathedral.  Few  French  churches  have  their 
Gothic  architecture  lightened  and  beautified  by  more 
infinite  detail  of  carving  than  this  at  Caudebec, 
while  over  all  rises  an  airy  spire  encircled  at  three 
different  heights  by  a  stone  crown — a  form  of  deco- 
ration very  unusual  and  quite  lovely.     Above  the 

245 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

west  portal  is  a  gallery  that  attracts  our  notice  be- 
cau«e  its  open-work  stone  railing  is  composed  of 
Gothic  letters.  Once  inside  the  church,  we  realise 
that  the  windows  are  well  worth  a  visit,  particularly 
to  one  seeking  quaint  details  in  glass,  for  there  are 
many  such  here.  We  have  already  referred  in  our 
introduction  to  the  first  window  on  the  right,  the 
Israelites  crossing  the  Red  Sea.  In  order  to  render 
the  scene  as  descriptive  and  realistic  as  possible,  red 
glass  is  used  to  make  the  sea,  thus  removing  any 
possible  doubt  in  the  observer's  mind  as  to  the  iden- 
tity of  that  body  of  water.  Almost  opposite  (the 
second  on  the  left)  is  a  Tree  of  Jesse,  upon  which  the 
descendants  appear  at  full  length  instead  of  as  the 
usual  busts.  Much  golden  brown  is  used,  not  only 
in  the  intricate  convolutions  of  the  vine,  but  also 
in  the  costumes  and  in  the  stone  terrace  supporting 
the  pavilion  below  which  Jesse  is  seated.  Above  the 
small  north  portal  is  a  pleasing  canopy  window  of 
the  fifteenth  century  whose  unusual  feature  is  that 
the  bottom  of  it  is  curved  to  fit  the  arched  top  of  the 
door.  Because  of  this  imusual  base,  the  customary 
pedestals  at  the  foot  could  not  be  used,  but  the  ir- 
regularly shaped  space  is  tastefully  filled  with  deco- 
rations of  yellow  stain,  surcharged  with  shields  whose 
heraldry  catches  the  eye  of  the  American  traveller, 
because  they  bear  stars  on  a  blue  field,  as  well  as 
red  and  white  stripes.  Fifteenth  century  canopies 
also  fill  the  first  window  to  the  east  of  this  portal 

246 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

and  the  three  to  the  west,  one  being  dated  1442,  and 
all  containing  four  lancets.  A  couple  of  windows 
across  the  church  are  also  of  this  type,  while  the 
whole  of  the  side-lights  of  the  clerestory  contain  con- 
temporary light-admitting  panels,  whose  colour  is 
restricted  to  a  few  round  bosses  bearing  golden  rays, 
and  to  the  broad  golden  borders  which  here  are  car- 
ried up  into  and  almost  fill  the  tracery  panes  above. 
Another  very  unusual  feature  (and  one  which  we 
have  just  noticed  at  Conches)  is  the  presence  of  two 
pieces  of  music  written  out  in  the  form  called  "full 
chant"  and  borne  by  angels. 

If  one  can  spare  the  time,  Villequier,  four  kilo- 
metres down  the  Seine,  should  be  visited.  The  small 
church  there  has  seven  excellent  sixteenth  century 
windows,  one  of  Avhich,  that  in  the  centre  on  the 
north  side,  is  really  famous.  The  lower  half  of  its 
three  lancets  each  contains  a  figure  on  a  white  back- 
ground bearing  an  etched  damasked  pattern,  bor- 
dered richly  in  gold.  Across  the  entire  upper  half 
is  spread  out  a  spirited  naval  battle  in  which  four 
ships  are  engaged.  The  armoured  knights  are  de- 
picted mth  great  vigour,  while  excellent  use  is  made 
of  the  artistic  possibilities  provided  by  three  great 
pennants,  two  of  red  with  white  crosses,  and  one  of 
yellow  bearing  a  black  eagle. 

The  route  from  Caudebec  to  Rouen  is  charming, 
thanks  to  the  ever-changing  views  provided  by  the 
windings  of  the  Seine.     If  we  please,  we  may  stop 

247 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

on  the  way  to  view  the  Abbey  of  St.  Wandrille  (re- 
cently purchased  by  Maeterlinck)  and  also  the  loftily 
impressive  ruins  of  the  Abbey  of  Jumieges.  Jumie- 
ges,  in  the  midst  of  its  beautiful  park,  is  most  pic- 
turesquely situated  within  one  of  those  very  pro- 
nounced loops  so  common  in  the  lower  Seine,  which 
seem  to  signify  the  unwillingness  of  its  waters  to 
depart  from  this  delightful  corner  of  France. 


248 


ROUEI^ 

Upon  approaching  Rouen  one  is  sure  to  be  struck 
by  the  insolent  daring  of  its  situation.  Lying  on  a 
sloping  plain  beside  the  river,  it  seems  to  disdain 
the  well-nigh  impregnable  site  afforded  by  the  steep 
cliffs  which  rise  just  to  the  northeast.  The  history 
of  the  city  bears  out  the  audacity  of  its  location. 
Through  all  the  centuries  its  inhabitants  concerned 
themselves  so  continuously  in  conquering  other  peo- 
ples that  little  time  was  left  in  which  to  consider  the 
security  of  their  own  homes.  The  N'orman  boasted 
that  his  strongest  defence  was  a  vigorous  offence, 
and  he  made  good  his  boast.  The  town  of  William 
the  Conqueror  seems  always  to  have  been  imbued  by 
the  spirit  which  gave  him  his  name,  and  the  triumphs 
of  the  Normans  in  England,  and  later  in  Italy,  are 
but  natural  expressions  of  that  virility  of  race  which 
endures  to  the  present  day.  Upon  the  arms  of  the 
city  there  appears  a  lamb  with  one  of  its  forefeet 
lifted.  Upon  this  is  based  the  old  !N'orman  saying, 
"L'agneau  de  la  ville  a  toujours  la  patte  levee,"  a 
homely  comment  upon  the  restless  spirit  of  its  citi- 
zens and  their  disposition  to  be  always  up  and  doing. 

249 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IX  FRANCE 

Perhaps  the  most  characteristic  feature  of  Rouen 
when  viewed  from  a  distance  is  the  great  number 
of  its  spires  that  shoot  up  above  the  housetops,  earn- 
ing for  it  the  sobriquet  of  the  City  of  Churches. 
This  very  attractive  detail  is  all  the  more  striking 
because  so  rarely  seen  in  Erench  towns,  and  is  par- 
ticularly reminiscent  to  one  freshly  arrived  from 
England,  a  country  whose  church  towers  are  such  a 
charming  feature  of  the  landscape.  Full  of  signifi- 
cant history  is  this  Rouen — a  history  branded  for  all 
time  by  the  cowardly  fire  that  ended  the  tortures  of 
Joan  of  Arc,  that  strangely  potent  and  beautiful 
spirit.  Fortunately,  no  trace  remains  of  that  das- 
tardly deed.  Turning  to  a  less  sinister  page  in  the 
city's  history,  we  see  on  one  side  of  the  market- 
place, a  small  pagoda-like  structure  called  the  old 
tower  of  the  Fierte.  Here,  on  Ascension  Day  in 
every  year,  was  freed  a  prisoner  selected  by  the  peo- 
ple, 9ud  that  this  privilege  was  jealously  retained 
by  thers  is  proved  by  the  existence  of  a  complete  list 
of  the  prisoners  so  freed  from  1210  to  1790.  Nor  do 
the  records  stop  there:  they  also  narrate  many  a 
fierce  encounter  resulting  from  the  determination  of 
the  burghers  to  preserve  this  right.  Most  of  the 
quaint  features  of  the  town  have  been  modernised 
away — so  thriving  a  commerce  as  here  flourishes 
could  not  long  tolerate  the  old  narrow  crooked  streets. 
Where  old  features  remain  they  are  so  obviously  pro- 
tected as  to  look  almost  theatrical.     Of  this  the  two 

250 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

best  examples  are  the  clockbearing  archway  over  the 
street  which  bears  its  name  (Grosse  Horloge),  and 
the  ancient  carved  wood  housefront  transported  from 
its  original  site,  affixed  to  another  dwelling  and 
dubbed  the  House  of  Diane  de  Poitiers. 

Placed  just  at  the  point  where  ships  coming  in 
from  the  sea  must  transfer  their  freight  to  the  smaller 
vessels  that  go  up  the  Seine,  Eouen  is  so  intent  upon 
her  commerce,  that  all  the  principal  hotels  are  strung 
along  the  quays  on  the  riverfront,  a  very  unusual  ar- 
rangement in  a  French  toAvn.  When  we  visited  the 
church  of  St.  Ouen  to  see  its  fifteenth  century  glass, 
we  mentioned  the  esteem  in  which  the  Eouen  glass- 
makers  were  held  at  that  time  both  at  home  and 
abroad.  Erom  what  we  are  now  about  to  see  we 
can  judge  for  ourselves  how  much  truer  it  must  have 
been  in  the  sixteenth  century.  The  number  of  splen- 
didly glazed  churches  which  have  been  preserved  for 
our  inspection  almost  consoles  us  for  the  long  list  of 
others  swept  away  by  the  ruthless  vandalism  of  thi^. 
Eevolution,  and,  to  a  less  extent,  by  the  peaceful  hand 
of  time  or  the  mailed  fist  of  war.  The  principal  ones 
we  should  visit  (beside  St.  Ouen  already  described) 
are  St.  Maclou,  St.  Vincent,  St.  Patrice,  St. 
Godard,  St.  Eomain  and  the  Cathedral  of  Notre 
Dame.  Perhaps  the  least  interesting  sixteenth  cen- 
tury glass  is  in  that  gem  of  Gothic  architecture,  St. 
Maclou,  whose  florid  fagade  has  its  bizarre  charm 
accentuated  by  the  graceful  bowing  outwards  of  the 

251 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

west  front.  The  glass  that  attracts  us  most  is  in 
the  transept  rose  windows,  the  lancets  below  them 
and  in  the  very  brilliant  western  rose.  All  these 
roses  are  dwarfed  by  the  excessive  size  of  the  pen- 
dent lancets:  it  is  all  the  more  unfortunate,  because 
considered  separately  the  roses  as  well  as  the  lancets 
are  excellent.  The  earlier  windows  in  the  choir 
chapels  have  been  described  in  our  former  visit  (see 
page  144).  In  the  south  transept  a  well-composed 
Crucifixion  scene  is  carried  across  all  the  lancets. 
The  north  transept  contains  a  Tree  of  Jesse  on  a  blue 
background,  and  oddly  enough,  the  tree  has  white 
branches.  In  leaving  St.  Maclou,  notice  the  dainty 
spiral  staircase  that  winds  up  at  the  south  side  of  the 
door;  it  seems  almost  too  delicate  to  be  made  of 
stone. 

St.  Vincent  has  its  entire  lower  part  lighted  by 
large  embrasures  completely  glazed  with  glass  of  this 
period,  producing  a  singularly  brilliant  and  lumi- 
nous effect  all  about  us.  The  columns  which  separate 
the  ambulatory  from  the  choir  are  so  slender  that 
they  do  not  materially  interfere  with  our  view,  and 
thus  the  whole  interior  is  exposed  at  once,  an  en- 
closure of  glorious  colour.  In  fact,  it  is  not  too  much 
to  say  of  this  church  and,  to  a  less  extent,  of  the 
two  which  we  shall  next  visit,  that  they  are  bowers 
of  iridescent  glowing  light.  There  are  two  Trees 
of  Jesse  at  St.  Vincent,  one  over  the  north  portal, 
and  another  at  the  east  end  of  the  south  aisle,  but 

252 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

inspection  of  the  latter  reveals  that  the  genealogical 
tree  rises  not  from  Jesse  but  from  St.  Anne!  In 
the  true  Jesse  tree  over  the  northern  door  the  branches 
are  white^,  a  peculiarity  just  noticed  at  St.  Maclou. 

St.  Patrice  differs  from  St.  Vincent  in  that,  in- 
stead of  seeming  to  stand  in  the  midst  of  a  circle  of 
luminous  colour,  our  attention  is  rather  directed 
towards  the  splendid  bow- window  at  the  east  with  its 
Crucifixion  scene,  to  which  all  the  rest  of  the  glass 
seems  decorously  subordinated.  Although  glazed  a  lit- 
tle later  than  St.  Vincent,  it  yields  the  same  splen- 
didly luminous  effect,  the  natural  result  of  a  series  of 
panels  all  of  this  period.  The  chief  boast  of  this 
church  is  the  Triumph  of  the  Law  of  Grace  by  Jean 
Cousin  in  the  Lady  Chapel.  Nor  is  his  the  only  great 
name  that  we  shall  find  frequently  upon  the  glass  of 
Rouen.  One  window  much  admired  for  its  felicitous 
combination  of  theoretically  uncongenial  colours  is 
that  which  sets  forth  the  legend  of  St.  Hubert.  Its 
greens,  reds,  yellows  and  blues  must  be  seen  before 
one  can  believe  that  it  is  possible  to  agreeably  unite 
them. 

Our  next  church  is  St.  Godard,  whose  ancient 
glories  have  been  so  restored  and  replaced  by  modern 
trash  that  we  find  it  hard  to  believe  that,  when  it 
possessed  its  original  glass,  no  church  in  all  Nor- 
mandy could"  vie  with  it.  To-day  it  is  far  less  at- 
tractive than  St.  Vincent  and  St.  Patrice,  the  latter 
of  which,  by  the  way,  now  contains  several  of  the 

253 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  i:^^  FIIANCE 

original  windows  of  St.  Godard.  The  second  in  the 
chapel  named  after  St.  Romain,  depicting  scenes 
from  his  life,  is  one  of  the  few  in  the  church  which 
is  not  either  restored  or  renewed.  It  is  so  good 
in  every  way  that  one  is  surprised  the  other  windows 
do  not  seem  more  out  of  place  by  contrast.  We  sigh 
for  the  days  when  there  was  justified  the  phrase 
used  by  the  Norman  peasant  in  describing  good  wine, 
"As  red  as  the  windows  of  St.  Godard." 

Near  the  railway  station  is  St.  Romain,  which, 
though  less  ancient  than  those  which  we  have  just 
visited,  is  the  fortunate  possessor  of  glass  brought 
from  several  of  the  churches  swept  away  by  the  Revo- 
lution. Particularly  notice  the  spirited  scene  of  St. 
Romain  slaying  the  Gargouille,  the  fabled  dragon  of 
early  Rouen.  On  the  left,  in  what  seems  to  be  a 
transept,  is  a  pretty  window  at  the  bottom  of  which 
appear  such  a  sensibly  modest  row  of  small  kneel- 
ing donors  that  we  could  wish  that  all  sixteenth  cen- 
tury glaziers  might  have  seen  them,  and  had  been 
thereby  restrained  from  their  customary  exaggera- 
tion in  this  particular.  Unfortunately,  the  ancient 
panels  were  not  large  enough  to  fill  the  embrasures 
here  provided,  so  this  extra  space  was  filled  by  wide 
borders  of  light  modern  glass.  The  result  is  that 
these  borders  admit  such  a  flood  of  light  as  to  drown 
the  beauties  of  the  older  panels. 

Now  we  have  arrived  at  the  Cathedral.  Before  we 
enter,  let  us  feast  our  eyes  upon  the  delicate  Gothic 

254 


SIXTEENTH  CENTUEY 

detail  which  softens  and  decorates  its  sturdy  west 
front.  At  the  southwest  corner  rises  the  Tour  du 
Beurre,  built  (as  was  the  same  named  tower  at 
Bourges)  from  the  moneys  received  out  of  the  sale  of 
indulgences  to  eat  butter  during  Lent.  The  modern 
iron  spire  is  so  well  designed  as  to  seem  hardly  out 
of  place  among  its  older  sisters.  We  should  enter 
by  the  north  portal.  Just  outside  it  is  an  enclosure 
formerly  devoted  to  exhibiting  the  wares  of  book- 
sellers, which  is  shut  off  from  the  street  by  a  light 
Gothic  screen.  Viewed  through  it  the  wonderful 
carvings  on  the  north  portal  become  doubly  effective. 
The  interior  of  the  cathedral  is  as  full  of  interest 
as  the  best  style  of  Gothic  can  make  it.  On  the 
right  is  a  very  attractive  zigzag  stairway  which 
leads  up  to  the  library.  In  the  Lady  Chapel  are 
two  especially  fine  tombs,  one  of  the  Due  de  Breze, 
husband  of  the  famous  Diane  de  Poitiers,  and  the 
other  of  Louis  XII's  great  Minister,  Cardinal  d'Am- 
boise.  The  fourteenth  century  glass  of  this  chapel 
has  already  been  described  (see  page  144).  The  130 
windows  which  light  the  cathedral's  interior  are 
mostly  glazed  in  colour,  but  they  are  the  product  of 
various  centuries  and  are  of  varying  excellence.  We 
find  here  but  eight  thirteenth  century  medallion  win- 
dows, but  they  are  delightful.  Two  of  them  are  in 
the  nave,  the  third  and  fourth  on  the  left.  The  others 
are  in  the  choir  ambulatory  and  are  so  placed  as  to 
be  singularly  effective.     If  one  stands  in  either  the 

255 


STAGED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

north  or  the  south  aisle  of  the  nave  and  looks  directly 
east,  the  only  glass  which  meets  his  eye  is  that  of 
windows  brilliant  with  these  early  medallions,  far 
off  at  the  other  end  of  the  great  cathedral.  Jnst  at 
this  time  the  western  rose  window  chiefly  concerns  us 
because  it  is  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Its  concen- 
tric circles  of  white  angels,  red  seraphim,  green 
palm  branches,  etc.,  provide  a  strong  contrast  be- 
tween the  reds  and  yellows  (filling  the  centre  third 
of  it)  and  the  dark  greens  and  dark  blues  of  the 
outer  two-thirds.  In  the  southeasterly  comer  of  the 
south  transept,  the  window  on  the  east,  as  well  as  that 
on  the  south,  are  worthy  of  our  attention.  The  lat- 
ter is  by  Jean  Cousin,  and  its  six  panels  show  six 
virtues,  each  entitled  in  Latin.  Those  of  us  who  are 
subject  to  fits  of  depression  should  especially  observe 
"Fortitudo,''  for  there  the  bishop  has  slain  the  Blue 
Devil,  and  is  pursuing  its  lilac  and  its  green  broth- 
ers! 

Although  St.  Ouen  has  already  been  visited  for  its 
magnificently  complete  fourteenth  century  glazing 
(see  page  144),  the  rose  windows  of  its  transepts  are 
such  noteworthy  examples  of  the  Renaissance  that 
we  must  not  omit  a  comment  upon  them  at  this 
point.  That  in  the  north  transept  has  its  diverging 
figures  arranged  like  herrings  in  a  barrel,  but  while 
those  at  the  sides  and  around  the  lower  part  are  light 
in  tone,  those  in  the  upper  part  are  red  seraphim  and 
blue   cherubim:   this   is  very  unusual.      The  south 

256^ 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

rose  is  peopled  by  a  multitude  of  small  personages, 
each  occupying  a  pane  by  itself.  Careful  examina- 
tion reveals  that  we  have  here  a  Tree  of  Jesse.  He 
is  in  the  middle,  but  it  is  only  with  some  difficulty 
that  we  distinguish  the  branches  of  the  vine  radiat- 
ing from  him. 

Before  leaving  Rouen  the  traveller  should  see  the 
interesting  carvings  on  the  House  of  Bourgetheroulde, 
depicting  the  Field  of  the  Cloth  of  Gold,  nor  will  he 
fail  to  admire  the  magnificent  apartments  which 
Norman  love  of  equity  constructed  for  it  in  the 
Palais  de  Justice. 

Besides  the  towns  already  visited,  there  are  three 
others  near  Rouen  which  contain  interesting  glass, 
Grand-Andely,  Elbeuf  and  Pont  de  FArche,  distant, 
respectively,  33,  20  and  18  kilometres  from  Rouen. 
They  are  worth  a  visit  if  one  can  spare  the  time,  but 
we  risk  an  anti-climax  in  recommending  our  travel- 
ler to  see  them  after  the  glories  of  the  Norman 
capital.  The  nearness  of  these  towns  and  also  of 
Pont-Audemer  (48  kilometres),  Caudebec  (35  kilo- 
metres), and  Conches  (51  kilometres),  suggests  a 
way  in  which  one  can  change  the  whole  itinerary 
just  outlined.  This  can  be  done  by  using  Rouen  as 
a  centre  from  which  to  run  out  and  back,  and  thus 
visit  all  this  group  of  six  without  cutting  oneself 
off  from  one's  base.  To  one  at  all  encumbered  with 
luggage,  this  suggestion  will  probably  appeal. 


257 


GRANIXANDELY 

Of  the  trio  just  mentioned,  Grand- Andely  is  much 
the  most  interesting,  in  fact  it  deserves  greater  re- 
nown for  its  glass  than  it  at  present  enjoys.  Unfor- 
tunately only  one  side  of  the  church  retains  its  origi- 
nal glazing,  but  we  find  ample  compensation  for  this, 
because  the  entire  southern  half  is  filled  with  bril- 
liant sixteenth  century  subjects,  not  only  along  the 
chapels  below,  but  also  in  the  clerestory.  After  a 
delightful  hour  spent  here  one  readily  credits  the 
tale  that  a  youth  of  the  neighbourhood,  by  constant- 
ly contemplating  their  glories,  so  developed  his  love 
of  colour  that  he  determined  to  devote  his  life  to 
painting.  This  youth  was  Nicolas  Poussin.  The 
great  width  of  the  embrasures,  as  well  as  their  num- 
ber (six  in  the  nave  and  four  in  the  choir,  on  each 
side,  both  above  and  below),  provide  ample  , scope 
for  the  display  of  the  glazier's  skill.  Among  so 
many  of  such  excellence  it  is  difficult  to  select  which 
to  praise  the  most,  but  the  third  on  the  right  in  the 
nave  clerestory  (dated  1560),  because  of  Abraham's 
gorgeous  yellow  robe,  as  well  as  the  blue  canopy  with 
red  draperies  above  the  aged  Isaac,  will,  linger  long- 

258 


SIXTEENTH  CEXTUEY 

est  in  the  writer's  memory.  Even  when  viewed  on  a 
dull,  grey  day,  one  cannot  escape  from  the  impres- 
sion that  a  bright  sun  is  shining  outside,  because  of 
the  brilliancy  of  this  window's  hues.  It  is  one  of 
the  few  examples  of  this  epoch  to  possess  that  pe- 
culiarity, which,  by  the  way,  is  so  common  among 
the  mosaic  type  of  the  thirteenth  century.  This 
tendency  towards  the  ornate,  everywhere  apparent 
throughout  this  series,  finds  its  ultimate  expression 
in  the  sixth  nave  chapel  on  the  right,  where  the  stone- 
work of  the  Renaissance  canopies  is  heavily  overlaid 
with  golden  designs.  The  choir's  four  southerly  clere- 
story windows  each  contains  a  large  figure  under  a 
canopy  of  the  time,  the  treatment  varying  in  each 
case.  Below,  in  the  south  wall  of  the  choir,  the  tracery 
lights  of  the  two  easternmost  windows  are  filled  with 
diminutive  angels,  eleven  praying  or  playing  musical 
instruments  in  one  of  them,  and  in  the  other,  nine, 
each  carrying  a  symbol  of  the  Passion.  The  way  in 
which  each  angel  is  adjusted  to  the  small  pane  it  oc- 
cupies is  very  graceful. 

The  apse  end  is  square,  in  the  English  fashion. 
Its  great  east  window  contains  good  fourteenth  cen- 
tury canopy  work,  in  bands  across  a  grisaille  field. 
The  subsequent  addition  of  a  Lady  Chapel  to  the 
east  has  injured  the  effect  of  this  glass,  not  only  by 
an  entrance  being  cut  through  it  below,  but  also  be- 
cause the  second  tier  of  canopies  is  entirely  shut  off 
from  the  light  by  the  wall  of  this  later  chapel  built 

259 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

against  it  outside.  There  is  thus  left  only  the  third, 
or  upper  tier,  for  our  inspection.  If  the  northern 
side  of  this  church  were  as  fortunate  as  the  south- 
em  in  the  possession  of  its  original  glazing,  this 
would  lank  among  the  best  French  glass  shrines, 
which  is  high  praise. 


260 


ELBEUr 

Et.beuf  has  two  churches  worthy  of  our  attention, 
St.  Etienne  and  St.  Jean,  but  the  former  is  very 
much  the  better.  In  St.  Jean  the  first  four  windows 
on  the  right,  three  of  those  opposite  them,  and  the 
first  on  each  side  in  the  Lady  Chapel  are  all  of  the 
sixteenth  century.  There  is,  however,  so  much  res- 
toration as  to  greatly  diminish  our  interest,  except 
in  the  Lady  Chapel.  There  the  one  to  the  right 
displays  scenes  from  the  life  of  the  Virgin,  with  a 
label  below  each.  The  lower  right-hand  panel,  in 
which  appear  Joseph  and  Mary,  carries  realism  to 
an  extraordinary  point,  while  its  label  prevents  any 
misunderstanding  of  its  meaning. 

However  unsatisfactory  St.  Jean  may  prove,  we 
shall  be  consoled  when  we  enter  St.  Etienne.  There 
the  whole  effect  leads  up  to  and  culminates  in  the 
splendid  bay  that,  with  its  three  lofty  windows,  each 
containing  three  lancets  in  double  tiers,  forms  the 
eastern  end  of  the  choir.  There  are  no  transepts,  the 
nave  joining  directly  on  to  the  choir.  Although  the 
nave  glass  is  all  modern,  it  does  not  affront  the  glories 
of  its  older  neighbours  in  the  choir,  which  is,  un- 

261 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

fortunately,  so  often  the  case  elsewhere.  One  is 
tempted  to  confine  one's  comments  to  the  splendid 
easterly  screen  of  colour,  but  that  would  be  discrim- 
inating unjustly.  The  famous  legend  of  St.  Hubert, 
dated  1500  (the  second  from  the  east  in  the  souther- 
ly choir  aisle),  has  been  too  much  restored, but  this  is 
the  only  one  that  can  be  thus  reproached.  In  the 
cast  end  of  this  aisle  we  find  at  the  bottom  of  a  win- 
dow two  panels  with  tapestry-makers  at  work,  show- 
in.^  that  it  was  the  gift  of  that  guild.  Across,  in  the 
north  aisle,  the  easternmost  window  in  the  north 
wall  is  a  Tree  of  Jesse,  dated  1523.  Jesse  is  seated 
beneath  a  pavilion ;  from  the  tent  pole  sprouts  a 
vine,  out  of  whose  blossoms  arise  the  usual  half- 
length  figures.  In  the  topmost  pane  of  the  traceries, 
the  Virgin  is  seen  emerging  from  a  great  lily. 


262 


PONT  DE  FAECHE 

Pont  dp:  l'Akciie,  approached  from  Rouen,  is 
most  picturesque.  It  lies  snuggled  down  by  the  river, 
its  bridge  flung  invitingly  towards  you  across  the 
Seine,  while  behind  it  the  forest  comes  down  the 
steep  slope  almost  to  the  town.  The  church,  perched 
high  upon  a  corner  of  the  old  fortifications,  seems 
to  be  keeping  watch  over  the  homes  of  its  parishion- 
ers. Its  elaborately  carved  exterior  gives  rise  to  ex- 
pectations that  are  not  realised,  for  within  we  find 
but  little  glass  to  arrest  our  attention,  although  what 
there  is  dates  from  the  sixteenth  century.  At  the 
eastern  end  of  the  north  wall  there  is  a  Tree  of 
Jesse,  but  it  is  clumsily  imagined  and  coarsely 
drawn.  The  flowers  upon  the  vine  are  too  large,  and 
from  them  protude  great  half-length  figures,  so  much 
out  of  balance  with  the  rest  of  the  design  as  to  render 
the  ensemble  lumbering  and  ungraceful.  The  reason 
for  our  visit  is  provided  by  the  second  window  east 
from  the  south  portal.  The  upper  part  shows  Christ 
walking  on  the  sea.  Below,  reaching  across  the  en- 
tire window,  is  a  scene  full  of  the  liveliest  local  in- 
terest.   A  boat  is  being  drawn  under  an  arch  of  the 

263 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  li^  FRANCE 

bridge  over  the  Seine,  and  pulling  upon  the  two  long 
tow-ropes  are  groups  of  the  townspeople,  fifteen  of 
them  and  two  teams  of  horses  tugging  at  one  rope, 
and  eighteen  and  one  team  at  the  other.  These 
groups  are  carefully  painted  in  enamel.  A  second 
vessel  is  being  similarly  assisted  under  another  arch 
of  the  bridge,  the  tow-rope  in  this  instance  being 
made  fast  to  a  rowboat.  The  details  of  the  bridge, 
of  the  fortified  island  in  the  right  foreground,  and 
of  the  enamelled  figures  of  the  citizens,  are  all  most 
engaging.  In  the  matter  of  correct  perspective,  the 
artist  relies  heavily  upon  the  indulgence  of  the  spec- 
tator, but  otherwise  the  panel  is  agreeable,  full  of 
quaint  interest,  and  absolutely  unique. 


264 


MOJSTTMOKEI^CY   GLASS 

The  tour  which  we  now  propose  will  prove  par- 
ticularly attractive  to  the  automobilist  or  bicyclist, 
although  we  do  not  by  that  statement  desire  to  dis- 
courage the  traveller  by  train.  He  will  find  the 
same  glass  and  the  same  towns,  but  he  will  miss  the 
opportunity  to  enjoy,  en  route,  the  forests  of  Mont- 
morency and  Ghantilly  which  during  the  summer  are 
so  alluring.  During  the  first  part  of  the  journey  we 
will  see  glass  designed  for  moderate  sized  interiors 
and,  therefore,  adapted  for  close  inspection.  On 
these  windows  will  be  found  many  careful  portraits 
of  the  donors,  some  of  which  in  their  perfection  of 
treatment  have  never  been  surpassed.  It  would  be 
unfortunate  if  this  itinerary  for  any  reason  should 
be  omitted,  because  without  it  our  study  of  sixteenth 
century  glass  would  not  be  comprehensively  com- 
plete. We  leave  Paris  by  the  road  going  north 
through  St.  Denis:  our  pilgrim  will  hardly,  upon 
this  occasion,  stop  to  visit  the  Abbey  Church,  because 
nearly  all  of  its  glass  is  modern  and  glaringly  poor. 
What  there  is  of  old  glass  is  twelfth  century  and 
either  fragmentary  or  much  restored  and  repaired. 

265 


STAIXED  GLASS  TOURS  IX  FRANCE 

The  celebrated  window  showing  the  devout  figure  of 
its  donor,  Abbot  Suger,  excites  our  reverence,  hardly 
our  admiration.  Its  chief  interest  lies  in  the  fact 
that  there  has  come  down  to  us  the  good  abbot's  own 
account  of  this  among  other  windows  which  he  pre- 
sented. The  tombs  of  the  French  kings  are,  of 
course,  most  impressive,  and  provide  one  of  the 
great  sights  of  France  to  one  interested  however 
slightly  in  its  history,  but  to-day  we  are  in  pursuit 
of  stained  glass,  so  the  Abbey  of  St.  Denis  must 
Avait  until  another  occasion.  The  road  straight  on 
to  the  north  leads  to  Ecouen,  but  that  visit  must 
be  deferred  a  little,  so  just  outside  of  St.  Denis  we 
turn  sharply  to  the  left  and  after  eight  kilometres  ar- 
rive at  Montmorency,  delightfully  perched  upon  a 
hill  with  orchards  on  every  side.  From  the  little 
platform  just  outside  the  west  front  we  get  a  fine 
view  of  the  forest  of  the  same  name  which,  fortu- 
nately for  American  eyes,  has  not  been  so  pruned 
as  to  no  longer  resemble  a  forest.  From  Montmo- 
rency we  take  the  right  hand  to  Ecouen  there  to  re- 
join the  straight  road  running  north  out  of  St.  Denis. 
We  follow  this  road  to  Chantilly,  where  the  Mont- 
morency glass  ends,  then  turn  northwest  to  Beauvais, 
and  after  enjoying  its  splendid  cathedral,  return  to 
Paris.  At  this  point  let  us  remark  that  although 
automobiles  and  trains  undoubtedly  add  to  the  com- 
fort of  the  traveller,  it  would  be  better  for  us  on  this 
particular  trip  if  we  could  substitute  for  them  a 

266 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

mediaeval  belief  in  magic.  Then  our  first  move 
would  certainly  be  to  seize  a  fairy  wand  and  sum- 
mon as  our  guide  that  glorious  warrior,  courtier  and 
patron  of  the  arts,  the  great  constable,  Anne  de 
Montmorency.  Nothing  could  be  more  incongruous 
than  the  selection  for  him  of  a  woman's  name,  even 
though  borrowed  from  the  Queen  of  Louis  XII.  The 
reason  for  summoning  him  is  most  obvious:  it  was 
he  who  built  the  castles  of  Ecouen  and  Chantilly, 
while  the  church  at  Montmorency,  though  founded 
by  his  father,  William,  was  completed  by  the  son. 
Who,  then,  could  better  tell  us  their  stories  or  more 
delightfully  revive  by  familiar  anecdote  the  origi- 
nals of  their  glass  portraits  ?  Even  after  our  con- 
juring had  secured  for  us  his  company,  we  might 
find  ourselves  in  trouble,  unless  we  were  willing  to 
discard  our  automobile  or  train  for  a  stout  horse. 
The  arts  by  which  we  secured  his  presence  in  the 
flesh  might  seem  to  him  quite  natural,  for  magic 
was  much  more  respected  in  his  time  than  in  these 
more  practical  days,  but  it  is  greatly  to  be  feared 
that  the  puffing  engine  would  overcome  that  stern 
courage,  tested  in  many  a  stricken  field,  and  that  it 
would  take  the  utmost  vigilance  on  our  part  to  pre- 
vent him  from  bolting  back  into  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury. After  accompanying  him  to  Montmorency  and 
Ecouen,  and  after  wandering  together  through  the 
forest,  park  and  chateau  of  Chantilly,  we  shall  bid 

267 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

him  farewell,  but  we  must  not  be  surprised  if  he 
stoutly  objects  to  our  turning  off  towards  Beauvais, 
demanding  that,  having  recalled  him  from  the  spirit 
world,  we  hear  his  story  out,  and  to  that  end  push 
on  to  St.  Quentin.  The  lusty  old  warrior  would  be 
quite  right,  for  the  chronicle  of  his  career  would  be 
incomplete  if  it  omitted  the  delaying  and  glorious 
defeat  he  there  received  while  commanding  the 
French  forces,  thereby  providing  time  for  Henry 
II  to  rally  the  remaining  strength  of  France  and 
save  Paris  from  the  victorious  Philip  II  of  Spain. 
The  result  of  that  battle  proved  highly  satisfactory 
to  both  victor  and  vanquished,  for  while  its  delay 
saved  Paris,  on  the  other  hand  Philip's  victory  so 
elated  him  that  in  memory  thereof  he  erected  the 
famous  palace  of  the  Escorial  near  Madrid.  Though 
most  of  us  will  conclude  to  refuse  the  Constable's 
request,  some  few  of  our  company  may  desert  us 
and  follow  him  to  St.  Quentin.  Once  there,  they 
must  not  fail  to  view  the  two  splendid  sixteenth  cen- 
tury windows  in  the  second  northern  transept  of  the 
church  already  visited  on  our  thirteenth  century 
tour.  They  are  each  two  and  a  half  metres  wide  by 
nine  and  a  quarter  high.  One  is  dedicated  to  Ste. 
Barbe  and  is  dated  1533,  and  the  other,  dated 
1541,  to  Ste.  Catherine,  each  displaying  elaborately 
gruesome  episodes  depicting  the  martyrdom  of  the 
heroine.    The  latter  one  shows  God  the  Father  at  the 

268 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

top  receiving  the  saint,  who  is  borne  upward  by  fly- 
ing angels.  In  the  loAvest  panel  we  remark  Cather- 
ine's headless  body  sitting  bolt  upright,  while  nearby 
on  the  floor  lies  her  severed  head  intently  regarding 
it  (see  page  107). 


269 


MOXTMORElSrCY 

Up  a  steep  road  that  has  more  turns  and  branches 
than  a  grape-vino,  and  suddenly  we  come  out  on  a 
little  platform  before  the  west  front  of  the  diminu- 
tive church  of  St.  Martin.  Off  to  the  west  and 
around  on  each  side  there  unfolds  a  panorama  of 
smiling  valleys  and  green  hillocks  in  most  enticing 
succession. 

As  one  enters  the  western  portal,  he  first  observes 
that  the  three  westerly  windows  on  each  side  are 
modern,  and  of  these  there  can  be  no  higher  praise 
than  that  they  harmonise  admirably  with  their  four- 
teen ancient  neighbours  to  the  east  of  them.  These 
fourteen  are  chiefly  interesting  because  of  the  deli- 
cacy of  their  composition,  which  is  really  delicious. 

Perhaps  the  chief  interest  here  is  the  gallery  of 
family  portraits  afforded  by  the  donor's  figures  upon 
the  panes.  Among  the  many  admirably  drawn  faces 
of  distinguished  scions  of  the  House  of  Mont- 
morency, the  best  is  that  of  the  founder  of  this 
church,  William,  the  .father  of  our  friend  the  great 
Constable,  which  is  behind  the  altar,  to  the  left.  It 
is  evidently  the  work  of  a  great  artist.     The  fourth 

270 


CONSTABLE  OF  MONTMORENCY   AND  HIS   FIVE  SONS, 
MONTMORENCY  CHURCH   (i6th  Century). 

Here  the  donors  are  frankly  the  important  feature.  So  proud  ivere  the 
Constable  and  his  wife  (Madeleine  de  Savoie)  of  their  five  sons  and  seven 
daughters  that  ive  find  four  pairs  of  tvindi7vs  portraying  them. 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

on  the  right  and  the  fourth  on  the  left  (and,  there- 
fore, opposite  each  other)  are  two  windows  contain- 
ing one,  Anne  de  Montmorency,  and  the  other,  his 
wife,  Madeleine  de  Savoie,  each  attended  by  their 
children.  These  two  were  made  about  1563,  while 
those  to  the  east  of  them  range  from  1523  to  1533. 
The  Constable  is  supported  by  his  five  sons  and  his 
wife  by  her  seven  daughters.  She  is  looking  toward 
the  altar,  but  he  is  looking  across  at  her.  Each  of 
these  domestic  groups  occupies  nearly  half  of  the 
entire  embrasures,  but  it  does  so  in  such  a  frank  man- 
ner as  to  entirely  avoid  the  appearance  of  intrusion, 
so  generally  the  result  of  portraits  like  these.  As  we 
walk  around  the  church  we  are  amazed  that  so  fragile 
a  medium  as  glass  should  have  preserved  through  all 
the  centuries  these  portraits  in  more  perfect  condi- 
tion than  many  which  were  consigned  to  canvas  or 
marble.  In  fact,  one  wonders  why  this  was  not  more 
often  done,  and  at  the  same  time  wishes  it  had  been 
effected  as  frankly  as  in  these  two  just  described, 
and  not  by  the  intrusion  of  donors  upon  a  window  de- 
voted to  another  subject.  It  is  impossible  to  repress 
a  smile  upon  noticing  that  the  Crucifixion  scene 
which  bears  the  portrait  of  its  donor,  Gwy  de  Laval, 
shows  him  kneeling  in  the  central  panel,  while  the 
crucifix  is  in  a  side  one !  Lest  these  comments  may 
have  seemed  severely  intended,  let  us  point  out  a 
few  of  the  many  lovely  features.  For  instance,  the 
second  window  from  the  east  in  the  north  wall  has 

271 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

in  its  central  panel  the  Virgin  holding  the  Infant 
Jesus,  who  reaches  out  His  baby  hand  to  receive  a 
dove.  The  greensward  below  is  picked  out  with 
bright  flowers  and  peopled  by  small  animals,  quite  as 
one  sees  them  on  the  early  tapestries.  Nothing  could 
be  more  charming.  The  tracery  lights  are  excellent- 
ly treated  throughout,  sometimes  in  a  most  unusual 
manner.  Above  the  window  just  described,  we  find 
on  a  lilac  field  thirteen  golden  coins,  each  bearing  a 
diiTerent  head.  This  comment  upon  the  higher  panes 
leads  us  to  speak  of  a  most  delicate  group  of  four 
panels  perched  up  above  the  north  portal.  Across 
them  extends  what  appears  to  be  a  long  cloister  hav- 
ing a  rich  damasked  curtain  fastened  shoulder-high 
from  column  to  column,  above  which  is  afforded  a 
distant  prospect  of  gardens,  etc.,  while  in  each  of 
the  panels  there  stands  a  female  saint.  But  little 
height  is  needed  for  this  picture,  so  the  traceries 
above  come  down  low,  and  are  filled  by  a  throng  of 
blue  eaglets  on  a  golden  ground,  the  heraldic  in- 
signia of  the  Montmorencys.  Before  the  Battle  of 
Bouvines  the  shield  of  this  house  bore  but  four 
eaglets,  but  on  that  day  Mathieu  de  Montmorency 
captured  twelve  of  the  enemy's  standards  with  his 
own  hand.  In  recognition  of  these  deeds  of  prowess 
King  Philip  Augustus  added  twelve  more  eaglets  to 
his  arms,  one  for  each  captured  standard,  thus  rais- 
ing the  total  to  sixteen.  These  arms  we  shall  see 
often   repeated   in   the   windows    at    Montmorency, 

272 


SIXTEENTH  CENTUEY 

Ecouen  and  Chantilly.  A  visit  to  this  little  church 
is  a  delightful  experience  and  fills  us  with  eager  ex- 
pectation of  what  its  founder's  son,  the  great  Con- 
stable, can  show  us  in  his  two  castles  of  Ecouen  and 
Chantilly.  We  are  tempted  to  stray  off  into  the 
charming  forest  which  stretches  away  more  than  five 
miles  to  the  northwest  and  to  revel  in  the  natural 
beauty  of  its  chestnut  trees,  but  the  Constable  awaits 
us,  so  off  we  must  be  to  Ecouen. 


273 


ECOUEN' 

EcouEN  is  generally  visited  because  of  its  fine 
chateau,  built  on  the  crest  of  a  hill  and  entirely  sur- 
rounded by  a  delightful  wood  except  on  the  side 
where  from  a  flowered  terrace  there  is  disclosed  a 
far-reaching  view  out  over  a  smiling  country.  But 
it  is  not  the  chateau  which  lures  us  hither,  but 
the  parish  church  do^vn  in  the  town  that  nestles 
at  the  foot  of  the  castle  walls.  The  chateau  has  lost 
its  old  glass,  the  two  panels  from  its  chapel  show- 
ing the  children  of  Anne  de  Montmorency  being  now 
in  the  chapel  at  Chantilly,  which  place  also  rejoices 
in  the  possession  of  the  famous  series  of  forty-four 
scenes  from  the  adventures  of  Cupid  and  Psyche, 
which  originally  decorated  the  now  destroyed  Salle 
des  Gardes  at  Ecouen.  For  us,  therefore,  the  chateau 
has  lost  most  of  its  charm;  if  you  wish  to  inspect  it 
you  must  obtain  a  carte  d'entree  from  the  Chan- 
cellerie  de  la  Legion  d'Honneur  in  Paris,  for  it  is 
now  a  school  for  daughters  of  members  of  that  order, 
and  is  not  open  to  the  public.  For  those  of  us  who 
have  come  here  to  see  the  parish  church  there  will 
be  no  bother  about  permits,  for  none  is  needed.    This 

274 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

church  not  only  contains  excellent  Renaissance  win- 
dows, but  upon  them  we  shall  find  a  fine  array  of 
Montmorency  portraits  as  well.  The  upper  panels 
of  the  lofty  lancets  that  flank  the  high  altar  are 
filled  with  scriptural  scenes,  but  below  they  con- 
tain, that  to  the  left,  Anne  de  Montmorency  with  his 
five  sons,  and  that  to  the  right,  his  wife  attended 
by  five  daughters.  Although  we  have  here  the  same 
family  portraits  as  those  seen  in  Montmorency 
Church,  this  pair  is  much  older  (1544-5),  and  not 
only  shows  the  children  as  much  younger  than  at 
Montmorency  (1563),  but  also  has  but  five  daughters 
instead  of  the  seven  seen  on  the  later  glass.  Nor  are 
these  the  only  similar  pairs  of  these  windows.  The 
Constable  was  so  proud  of  his  children  and  of  their 
number  that  he  seemed  to  never  tire  of  having  them 
portrayed  on  glass.  We  have  just  referred  to  a 
third  pair  (dated  1544)  made  for  the  chapel  of 
Ecouen  chateau,  but  now  at  (vhantilly,  and  there  is 
still  a  fourth  pair  in  the  nearby  church  of  Mesnil- 
Aubry  which  are  the  latest  of  all,  for  the  Con- 
stable is  there  shown  with  a  snow-white  beard.  At 
Ecouen  we  observe  that  the  parents  occupy  each 
a  separate  panel  from  the  children,  but  at  Chan- 
tilly  the  parent  panels  are  both  missing.  The 
remaining  three  windows  on  the  south  side  of  the 
choir  bear  as  donors  still  other  Montmorencys,  but 
the  work  is  later  and  not  nearly  so  good.  The  high 
altar  concealed  the  lower  half  of  the  central  eastern 

275 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IX  FRANCE 

windows,  so  they  did  the  next  most  sensi- 
ble thing  to  lowering  the  altar  back — ^they  trans- 
ferred to  a  little  northern  chapel  the  panels  it  ob- 
scured. The  whole  northerly  side  of  the  choir  opens 
out  into  a  chapel  whose  northern  and  eastern  ends 
are  lighted  by  three  large  embrasures  filled  with  ex- 
cellent Renaissance  glazing,  depicting  scenes  from 
the  life  of  the  Virgin.  Especially  fine  is  the  second 
from  the  east,  showing  in  the  lower  half,  the  death 
of  the  Virgin,  while  above  are  clouds  peopled  with 
angels,  all  leading  up  to  the  Father  in  the  top  pane 
of  the  tracery.  The  traceries  of  the  three  eastern- 
most choir  embrasures  are  filled  with  blue  eaglets  on 
a  fi:olden  ground,  the  insignia  of  the  Montmorencys. 
This  same  treatment  of  the  traceries  may  also  be  re- 
marked in  the  chapel  of  the  chateau;  in  fact,  they 
are  all  that  remains  there  of  the  original  glazing. 
We  have  already  admired  this  same  form  of  decora- 
tion over  the  north  portal  at  the  Montmorency 
Church. 

It  seems  a  pity  that  the  Ecouen  glass  now  at  Chan- 
tilly  could  not  be  restored  to  the  embrasures  for 
which  it  was  made;  it  obviously  does  not  belong 
where  it  is  now  found,  and,  besides,  it  loses  there  the 
historic  significance  which  it  would  enjoy  in  its  old 
home  at  the  chateau  of  Ecouen. 


276 


CHANTILLY 

At  one  time  or  another  during  our  glass  pilgrim- 
ages we  have  happened  upon  examples  of  other  me- 
dia3val  arts  and  crafts  which  all  combine  to  make 
France  so  absorbingly  interesting.  It  has  been  re- 
served for  our  visit  to  Chantilly  to  show  us  one  of 
the  formal  gardens  of  Old  France  in  which  nature 
has  been  made  to  yield  to  the  whim  and  fancy  of  the 
landscape  artist.  Most  travellers  have  seen  the 
famous  gardens  of  Versailles  and  have  heard  that 
they  were  designed  and  arranged  by  Le  Notre,  but 
those  at  Chantilly  were  designed  by  this  same  master 
before  he  was  called  by  the  King  to  do  his  greatest 
work  at  Versailles.  There  are  many  who  prefer  his 
earlier  effort,  and  we  must  be  grateful  to  our  glass 
for  having  brought  us  to  this  delightful  spot.  The 
forest  of  Chantilly,  which  covers  over  six  thousand 
acres,  forms  an  excellent  foil  for  the  formal  stateli- 
ness  of  the  gardens.  One  is  not  allowed  to  visit  the 
chateau  except  on  Thursdays  and  Sundays  and  not 
then  if  it  happens  to  be  a  day  when  there  is  racing  at 
the  Chantilly  track.  This  regulation  is  to  prevent 
race    crowds    from    overrunning    the    chateau    and 

277 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

grounds.  The  beautiful  building  with  its  priceless 
collections  was  the  private  property  of  the  Due 
d'Aumale  and  was  by  him  presented  to  the  Institut 
de  France.  In  a  long  low  gallery  especially  con- 
structed for  them,  and  which  receives  all  its  light 
through  them,  is  a  much  travelled  and  widely  dis- 
cussed series  of  forty-four  panels  narrating  episodes 
from  the  adventures  of  Cupid  and  Psyche.  They  are 
of  the  yellow  stain  and  grey  type  which  we  have 
noticed  at  Troyes  and  Chalons,  but  here  the  work- 
manship is  far  superior.  Note  that  the  grey  is  in 
places  almost  bro^vn,  and  that  the  yellow  is  used  but 
sparingly.  The  high  state  of  perfection  to  which  the 
design  and  drawing  are  carried,  combined  with  the 
f;iot  that  their  subjects  are  non-religious,  make  them 
delightfully  unique.  It  is  easy  to  observe  the  strong 
influence  of  Italian  art,  not  only  in  their  general 
style  but  also  in  the  very  liberal  borrowing  of  de- 
signs from  well-knoAvn  Italian  paintings.  Until  re- 
cently they  were  attributed  to  that  versatile  master 
of  many  arts,  Bernard  Palissy,  but  that  has  been 
definitely  disproved.  They  are  now  generally  ac- 
knowledged to  be  the  work  of  Cocxyen,  a  Flemish 
student  of  Van  Orley  (who  made  the  windows  of 
Ste.  Gudule  in  Brussels),  and  the  Italian  influence 
is  explained  by  the  fact  that  he  studied  in  Rome. 
These  panels  are  dated  1542-4  and  were  originally 
made  for  the  windows  of  the  Salle  des  Gardes  at  the 
Chateau  of  Ecouen  upon  the  order  of  Constable  Anne 

278 


SIXTEENTH  CE:NrTUIlY 

de  Montmorency.  The  Eevolution  dislodged  them 
and  they  found  their  way  into  a  museum  arranged 
by  Lenoir.  This  collection  was  dispersed  in  1818. 
It  is  narrated  that  the  Prince  de  Conde,  when  visit- 
ing the  museum,  admired  this  set  of  glass.  Hearing 
someone  remark  that  they  had  formerly  adorned  a 
castle  belonging  to  his  family  (meaning  Ecouen), 
he  had  them  bundled  up  and  packed  off  to  his 
chateau  at  Chantilly,  where  they  have  since  re- 
mained. This  picturesque  tale  serves  to  show  that 
stained  glass  panels  were  not  then  regarded  as  neces- 
sarily stationary.  We  have  seen  several  other  in- 
stances of  this  lack  of  respect  for  their  stout  iron 
bars.  They  were  beautiful  and  valuable,  and  there- 
fore, when  the  occasion  arose,  they  were  removed ! 
Excellent  as  is  the  work  upon  these  panels  and  grace- 
ful as  are  the  figures,  we  cannot  but  notice  that  our 
art  is  taking  rapid  strides  towards  its  decadence. 
They  are  no  longer  windows  where  the  full  value  of 
colour  and  leading  are  appreciated  and  used.  In  this 
set  they  are  careful  colourless  paintings  on  glass  in 
which  the  artistic  value  of  the  leads  is  so  disregarded 
that  they  no  longer  provide  or  even  assist  the  draw- 
ing— they  only  mar  it  as  they  run  across  the  panes 
wherever  their  supporting  strength  is  necessary.  We 
have  arrived  at  a  time  when  the  windows  are  becom- 
ing painted  pictures  done  in  the  manner  of  paint- 
ings on  canvas.  The  artist  no  longer  remembers  that 
stained  glass  is  a  separate  art  and  that  he  has  cer- 

279 


STAHSTED  GLASS  TOURS  i:^  FRANCE 

tain  advantages  in  technique  over  the  oil  painter, 
just  as  the  latter  has  over  him. 

The  small  ante-chapel  has  on  each  side  a  tall  win- 
dow. In  the  middle  of  each  is  set  a  large  panel  of 
sixteenth  century  glass,  the  one  on  the  right  show- 
ing ^ve  Montmorency  daughters  kneeling  in  a  row, 
attended  by  Ste.  Agathe,  and  the  one  on  the  left 
their  five  brothers,  also  kneeling,  and  similarly  at- 
tended by  St.  John.  The  remainder  of  the  em- 
brasure is,  in  each  case,  filled  with  modern  glass 
done  in  the  Renaissance  manner  and  intended  to 
harmonise  wnth  the  older  panel  in  its  midst.  The 
artist  devoted  more  care  to  the  faces  of  the  boys  than 
to  those  of  their  sisters,  for  although  the  latter  are 
monotonously  alike  in  drawing  and  posture,  the  for- 
mer differ  markedly.  The  face  of  the  smallest  boy 
IS  most  diverting.  His  hands  are  clasped  in  prayer, 
but  unlike  his  more  devout  brothers  and  sisters,  his 
eyes  are  not  turned  toward  the  altar,  but  he  is  gaz- 
ing out  into  the  chapel  with  childish  curiosity.  In 
these  two  panels  the  leads  are  not  so  cumbrously  in- 
trusive, but  there  is  a  lesson  which  every  glass  artist 
should  learn  from  an  inspection  of  the  carefully 
painted  windows  at  Ecouen,  Montmorency  and  Chan- 
tilly.  He  cannot  fail  to  notice  how  the  misuse  of  the 
leads  has  been  accentuated  by  the  careful  painting, 
and  he  should  carry  away  with  him  a  firm  convic- 
tion that  the  more  delicate  the  design  the  less  it  can 
afford  to  quarrel  with  the  leading. 

280 


BEAUVAIS 

The  average  tourist  looks  forwards  with  keen  in- 
terest to  his  first  visit  to  Beaiivais.  He  has,  of 
course,  heard  of  the  ancient  glories  of  its  tapestry, 
which  industry  is  still  kept  up  by  the  French  Gov- 
ernment. He  has  also  read  that  the  perfect  French 
cathedral  would  be  composed  of  the  choir  of  Beau- 
vais,  the  nave  of  Amiens,  the  west  front  of  Rheims 
and  the  towers  of  Chartres :  so  of  the  choir  of  Beau- 
vais  he  expects  great  things.  IN'or  will  he  be  disap- 
pointed, especially  if  he  first  views  it  from  the 
Amiens  road.  This  approach  reveals  the  town  to 
him  in  the  most  picturesque  way  imaginable.  On 
reaching  the  brow  of  a  short  hill  he  becomes  sudden- 
ly aware  of  Beauvais,  lying  below  him  in  the  valley 
beside  a  lazy  river.  One  could  more  properly  say  that 
he  first  saw  not  the  town,  but  the  amazing  uplift  of 
the  cathedral,  and  next  the  town  about  it.  The  great 
height  of  this  edifice  is  accentuated  by  the  fact  that 
only  the  choir  and  the  transepts  are  now  standing. 
Long  ago  the  nave  succumbed  to  the  great  strain 
which  its  unnatural  height  put  upon  the  materials 
of  which  it  was  constructed,  and  collapsed.       The 

281 


STAIIS^ED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FIIA:N^CE 

architect's  vaulting  ambition  o'erleapt  itself.  In 
fact  it  is  only  by  means  of  constant  shoring  and  re- 
pairing that  this  choir,  the  loftiest  in  France,  is  pre- 
served in  a  safe  and  solid  condition.  When  the  pil- 
grim descends  into  the  town  he  comes  upon  many 
interesting  timber-framed  houses,  some  of  them  with 
second  stories  projecting  over  the  arcaded  footway 
below  and  exhibiting  quaintly  attractive  carvings  on 
their  heavy  beams.  We  find  an  intelligent  attempt 
to  preserve  the  best  traditions  of  the  older  Beauvais 
tapestry  in  the  modern  factory.  Just  as  formerly, 
it  bears  floral  designs  and  very  rarely  personages, 
being  of  the  sort  called  ^'basse  lice,"  and  woven  on  a 
horizontal  frame,  thereby  differing  from  the  "haute 
lice"  of  the  Gobelins  factory,  where  the  frames  are 
])erpendicular.  Not  only  in  the  Cathedral,  but  also 
in  the  church  of  St.  Etienne,  do  we  find  excellent 
glass  of  the  sixteenth  century.  The  latter's  fine  Gothic 
choir,  adorned  with  graceful  flying  buttresses,  pro- 
vides a  strong  contrast  to  its  sturdier  Romanesque 
nave.  The  glass  is  only  to  be  found  around  the  choir, 
and  is  well  deserving  of  its  high  repute.  One  should 
notice  the  tone  of  the  blues,  especially  in  the  back- 
ground of  the  church's  finest  window,  a  Tree  of  Jesse, 
the  first  on  the  left  from  the  Lady  Chapel.  It  is 
the  work  of  Engrand  le  Prince,  and  is  one  of  the 
best  known  examples  of  the  irrelevant  use  of  por- 
traits of  high  dia:nitaries.  Their  half-length  figures 
appear  as  blossoms  on  the  vine.     Among  the  four- 

282 


V     •      . 

<^^|iJ!|%^ 

0 

*|^  mfii  ii^jX 

ES.  mm  mki 

mm  m^  cni 

"TREE  OF  JESSE  "  ST.  ETIENNE,  BEAUVAIS  (i6th  Century). 

Popular  subject  in  stained  glass;  the  vine  springing  from  the  loins  of  Jesse 
generally  bears  his  descendants  as  blossoms,  and  culminates  above  in  a  great 
lily  from  which  emerge  the  Virgin  and  Child.  Here  occurs  an  interestitig 
ibth  century  variation— among  the  descendants  of  Jesse  appear  contemporary 
portraits,  Francis  I,  Henry  II,  etc. 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

teen,  almost  all  contemporary  likenesses,  the  most 
recognisable  are  Erancis  I  and  Henry  II.  At  the 
back  of  the  choir  clerestory  there  is  a  fine  window, 
blue  with  golden  rays  of  the  sun  spreading  out  over 
it.  The  legend  of  St.  Hubert  is  very  agreeably  set 
out  just  to  the  east  of  the  small  south  portal,  the 
green  used  therein  being  seldom  surpassed. 

It  is  difficult  to  express  in  words  the  effect  of 
extreme  loftiness  which  strikes  one  as  he  enters  the 
south  door  of  the  Cathedral.  It  seems  almost  impos- 
sible to  shake  off  this  impression ;  in  fact,  one  is  con- 
stantly being  surprised  that  he  does  not  grow  accus- 
tomed to  the  great  sweep  of  the  upward  lines.  In  the 
two  great  rose  windows  which  decorate  the  transept 
ends,  and  in  the  double  row  of  lancets  below  each, 
there  is  excellent  glass  of  this  period.  The  northern 
rose  shows  the  golden  rays  of  the  sun  spreading  out 
over  a  blue  background,  reminding  us  of  its  prototype 
at  St.  Etienne.  Below,  the  ten  figures  of  women  are 
attributed  to  Le  Pot.  The  southern  rose  contains  the 
history  of  the  Creation  with  such  interesting  detail 
as  to  well  repay  the  trouble  to  decipher  it  caused  by 
its  great  height  above  us.  Below  are  two  handsome 
rows  of  lancets  dated  1551,  the  upper  containing 
prophets,  and  the  lower,  saints.  The  western  wall, 
rising  abruptly  at  the  point  where  the  nave  should 
commence,  has  in  its  north  and  south  corners  two 
chapels.  Each  of  these  chapels  has  large  sixteenth 
century  windows,  the  northerly  one  in  the  west  wall, 

283 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  FRANCE 

the  Descent  from  the  Cross,  being  very  fine ;  in  fact, 
it  is  by  some  considered  the  best  in  the  cathedral. 
The  choir  also  has  fine  Renaissance  glass,  although 
in  several  of  the  choir  chapels  (especially  in  the  Lady 
Chapel)  and  around  the  clerestory  at  the  east  end, 
there  are  some  very  interesting  thirteenth  century 
windows,  one,  in  particular,  a  Tree  of  Jesse,  ren- 
dered attractive  by  the  halo  of  flying  birds  about  the 
head  of  the  Saviour.  So  tall  are  the  clerestory  em- 
brasures that  generally  only  the  middle  portion  of 
them  contains  personages,  the  upper  and  lower  parts 
being  filled  with  grisaille.  Most  of  these  upper  em- 
brasures were  glazed  in  the  fourteenth  century,  and 
show  to  a  marked  degree  the  revulsion  from  the 
sombre  mosaic,  and  the  demand  for  greater  illu- 
mination. All  this  glass  would  be  much  more 
effective  if  nearer  the  eye  of  the  observer,  the  great 
height  at  which  it  is  placed  not  only  spoiling  the 
perspective,  but  resulting  in  a  jumble  of  colours. 
The  City  Hall  contains  the  flag  which  the  gallant 
townswoman,  Jeanne  Hachette,  captured  with  her 
own  hands  upon  the  occasion  of  the  attack  on  the 
city  made  by  Charles  the  Bold  and  his  army.  Al- 
though this  gallant  deed  was  performed  in  1472,  it 
has  never  been  forgotten  by  the  people  of  Beauvais, 
and  its  anniversary  is  reverently  commemorated  upon 
the  29th  of  everv  June. 


284 


BOUEG 

In  addition  to  the  glass  seen  during  these  three 
trips,  there  are  three  isolated  churches  whose  win- 
dows are  so  interesting  as  well  as  important  that  one 
should  not  be  contented  to  conclude  his  sixteenth 
century  studies  without  visiting  them.  N"ot  only  is 
each  one  of  them  distant  from  other  contemporary 
glass,  but  it  would  seem  as  though  the  Imp  of  the 
Perverse  had  taken  a  hand  in  placing  them  as  far 
away  from  each  other  as  possible.  Bourg  is  down 
south  in  Savoy ;  Auch  is  near  Toulouse  in  the  south- 
west; and  Champigny-sur-Veude  is  off  in  the  west- 
ern part  of  Touraine,  near  the  lower  reaches  of  the 
river  Loire.  Each  of  these  three  not  only  was  com- 
pletely glazed  during  this  epoch,  but  has  also  re- 
tained its  glass  in  good  condition.  In  each  case  the 
special  interest  which  causes  our  visit  is  quite  peculiar 
and  very  different  from  that  which  attracts  us  to 
the  others.  When  we  concluded  our  trips  of  the 
fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries  we  were  confronted 
with  the  advisability  of  a  separate  journey  to  Quim- 
per,  and  in  like  manner  we  should  now  decide  to 
visit  Bourg,   Auch  and  Champigny-sur-Veude.     It 

285 


STAINED  GLASS  TOURS  IN  TRANCE 

must  be  confessed  that  it  is  inconvenient,  but  it  will 
prove  well  worth  while. 

First  in  importance  is  the  church  of  Brou 
at  Bourg.  Although  Savoy  now  forms  part  of 
France,  we  shall,  upon  this  excursion,  find  proof 
that  it  was  not  always  French,  and  shall  further- 
more encounter  much  interesting  history  wrapped 
up  in  the  tale  of  the  building  and  glazing  of 
the  church  of  Brou.  Up  in  the  north,  at  St. 
Quentin,  we  found  the  high- water  mark  (on  French 
soil)  of  that  splendid  empire  which  the  Span- 
iard, Charles  V,  agglomerated  under  his  banner  and 
which  he  resigned  to  his  son,  Philip  II,  the  victor  of 
the  Battle  of  St.  Quentin.  So  vast  and  important 
was  his  empire  that  he  lacked  only  France  to  have 
all  the  continent  of  Europe  beneath  his  sway.  It  was 
the  aunt  of  this  Emperor  Charles  V,  Marguerite 
d'Autriche,  who  built  the  exquisite  church  of  Brou 
in  memory  of  her  husband,  Philibert  le  Beau,  Duke 
of  Savoy,  killed  in  a  hunting  accident.  After  this 
glance  at  history,  it  is  not  difficult  to  understand  why 
Marguerite  sent  to  Flanders  for  her  architect  and 
for  her  glass  designers,  for  as  Flanders  was  part  of 
her  nephew's  empire,  none  was  more  fully  advised 
than  she  of  the  high  reputation  then  enjoyed  by  the 
artists  of  the  Low  Countries.  Apropos  of  the  way 
in  which  her  husband  Philibert  died,  it  is  related 
that  when  his  father  had  been  at  the  point  of  death 
from  a  similar  hunting  accident,  Philibert's  mother, 

286 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

Marguerite  de  Bourbon,  had  vowed  to  erect  a  chapel 
to  St.  Hubert,  patron  saint  of  huntsmen,  if  he  re- 
covered. Her  failure  to  comply  with  this  vow  was 
by  many  firmly  believed  to  be  the  reason  why  her  son 
Philibert  was  killed  upon  the  hunting  field,  and  that 
his  untimely  end  was  a  solemn  warning  that  a  vow 
to  St.  Hubert  must  be  strictly  kept.  In  any  event, 
St.  Hubert  must  have  been  fully  satisfied  with  the 
manner  in  which  the  oath  was  finally  carried  out, 
for  the  chapel  so  built  has  remained  to  amaze  and  de- 
light many  generations.  The  wonderful  marble 
tombs,  the  graceful  rood  screen,  the  splendid  glass, 
all  go  to  prove  that  there  was  here  lavished  every- 
thing that  wealth,  power  and  intelligence  could  com- 
mand. 

It  is  bewildering  to  decide  with  which  of  the 
eighteen  windows  we  shall  begin  our  inspection.  Be- 
cause of  our  interest  in  the  foundress  and  her  hus- 
band, let  us  commence  with  that  in  the  choir,  which 
is  at  the  left  of  the  most  easterly  window.  Upon 
this  one  and  its  neighbour  to  the  left  we  shall  see 
spread  out  much  concerning  the  life,  family  and 
habits  of  Philibert.  The  first  window  shows  the 
Duke  himself  attended  by  his  patron  saint,  St.  Phili- 
bert, while  in  the  background  there  looms  up  his  fa- 
vourite ducal  palace  of  Pont  d'Ain,  where  he  lived 
and  died.  As  indicating  the  importance  of  his  duchy 
there  are  arranged  above  him  thirteen  shields  dis- 
playing the  arms  of  provinces  at  one  time  part  of 

287 


STAINED  GLASS  TOUKS  IN  FRANCE 

Savoy.  The  next  window  to  the  left  bears  a  splendid 
array  of  thirty-five  shields  whose  heraldry  serves  to 
complete  our  information  about  Duke  Philibert  by 
showing  the  individuals  composing  his  family  tree. 
Those  on  the  right  are  of  the  paternal  line  of  Savoy, 
and  on  the  left  we  follow  his  mother's  line  (the 
House  of  Bourbon)  as  far  up  as  Louis  IX,  whose 
arms  appear  at  the  very  top  of  the  embrasure.  It  is 
most  fitting  that  the  arms  of  our  old  friend,  the  royal 
patron  of  stained  glass,  should  preside  over  the  most 
brilliant  window  in  this  famously  glazed  sanctuary. 
It  is  to  be  noticed  that  this  church  is  very  rich  in 
heraldic  blazons ;  in  fact,  upon  five  of  its  windows  we 
find  seventy-one  shields.  The  Chapelle  des  Sept 
Joies  contains  a  gorgeous  work,  the  Crowning  of  the 
Virgin,  in  which  every  effort  of  the  glassmaker's 
skill  seems  to  have  been  exerted.  Above  the  princi- 
pal subject  runs  a  panel-like  frieze  showing  in  alle- 
gory the  Triumph  of  Christ.  This  frieze  is  done  in 
grey  and  yellow  stain.  The  whole  window  would 
leave  nothing  to  be  desired  in  either  technique  or 
colour  if  it  were  not  made  the  victim  of  an  exag- 
gerated outbreak  of  the  curse  of  donors'  figures.  The 
foundress  and  her  husband  are  not  only  allowed  to 
intrude  upon  the  drawing  of  the  general  subject,  but 
each  of  them  is  actually  larger  than  the  figure  of  the 
Virgin.  The  records  show  that  this  church  (begun 
in  1511)  had  all  its  glass  installed  at  the  time  of 
its  completion  in  1536,  thus  showing  that  the  win- 

288 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

dows  were  made  during  the  most  vigorous  part  of 
the  centur}^  a  fact  thoroughly  borne  out  by  internal 
evidence.  We  may  consider  ourselves  fortunate  that 
the  use  of  this  glorious  building  for  a  store-houso 
during  the  lievolution  damaged  the  glass  so  little. 
In  this  connection  it  is  surprising  to  read  that  its 
beauty  was  so  much  appreciated  that  the  people  voted 
to  preserve  it  as  a  public  monument,  thus  staying  the 
hand  of  the  ever-ready  vandalism  which  then  raged 
through  so  many  French  churches. 

A  sketch  of  Bourg  would  not  be  complete  with- 
out a  reference  to  the  noble  poem  of  Matthew  Arnold. 
The  following  lines  are  particularly  appropriate  to 
the  moving  cause  for  our  visit  to  this  lovely  shrine: 

So  sleep,  forever  sleep,  O  maxble  Pair! 
Or,  if  ye  wake,  let  it  be  then,  when  fair 
On  the  carved  western  front  a  flood  of  light 
Streams  from  the  setting  sun,  and  colours  bright 
Prophets,  transfigured  Saints,  and  Martyrs  brave, 
In  the  vast  western  window  of  the  nave ; 
And  on  the  pavement  round  the  tomb  there  glints 
A  chequer- work  of  glowing  sapphire-tints, 
And  amethyst,  and  ruby— then  unclose 
Your  eyelids  on  the  stone  where  ye  repose, 
And  looking  down  on  the  warm  rosy  tints. 
Which  chequer,  at  your  feet,  the  illumined  flints. 
Say :  •'What  is  this?  We  are  in  bliss— forgiven — 
Behold  the  pavement  of  the  courts  of  Heaven!" 


289 


AUCH 

Seventy-seven  kilometres  west  of  Toulouse  there 
lies  the  interesting  city  of  Auch,  built  upon  a  hill- 
side rising  sharply  from  the  river  Gers.  Here  one 
will  happen  upon  many  an  ancient  architectural  bit 
which  will  take  him  back  to  the  days  when  Henry  of 
J^avarre  here  entertained,  much  against  her  will,  his 
mother-in-law,  Catherine  de  Medicis,  in  this  south- 
western corner  of  France,  far  off  from  her  beloved 
Paris.  The  very  remoteness  has  preserved  many  of 
its  old-world  features,  and  this  ancient  flavour,  com- 
bined with  the  picturesque  position  above  the  river, 
renders  it  distinctly  a  town  to  be  visited.  But  some- 
thing more  than  the  general  mediaival  air  of  Auch 
is  the  cause  for  our  long  jaunt  hither.  This  reason 
we  shall  find  in  the  eighteen  windows  that  adorn  the 
choir  ambulatory  of  the  cathedral  of  Ste.  Marie.  An 
inscription  in  the  Gascon  dialect  on  the  final  one  of 
the  series  tells  us  that  they  are  by  the  hand  of  Amaud 
Desmoles  and  that  they  were  finished  June  25,  1513. 
We  have  here  the  work  of  a  Frenchman,  a  Gascon 
at  that,  and  there  is  no  trace  of  Italian,  German  or  any 
other  foreign  influence;  it  is  the  true  flower  of  the 

290 


SIXTEENTH  CENTURY 

country's  genius  growing  on  its  native  soil.  Perhaps 
the  drawing  and  the  colouring  are  not  quite  so  good 
as  we  may  see  elsewhere,  but  it  is  purely  French. 
Any  imperfection  of  detail  is  hardly  noticed,  be- 
cause we  are  instantly  struck  by 'the  ensemble  of 
eighteen  windows  made  for  the  building  which  they 
decorate,  as  well  as  for  each  other,  and  all  by  the 
same  artist.  His  scheme  of  subjects,  showing  the 
agreement  between  the  teachings  of  the  Old  and  those 
of  the  New  Testament,  is  fully  carried  through  to 
its  completion.  The  colours  show  strength  and  yet 
are  not  too  robust.  The  proportions,  too,  are  very 
satisfactory,  each  window  being  about  three  times  as 
high  as  it  is  broad.  Their  stories  begin  with  the 
creation  of  the  world  and  carry  us  on,  step  by  step, 
until  they  conclude  with  the  appearance  of  Christ 
to  His  disciples.  The  central  part  of  each  embrasure 
is  filled  by  a  large  personage,  with  sundry  smaller 
figures  above,  and  groups  below.  It  is  but  natural 
that  so  complete  a  series  as  this  should  have  always 
enjoyed  a  wide  reputation.  Although  we  may  feel, 
after  examining  them,  that  they  do  not  reach  the 
standard  of  perfection  attained  by  some  of  their  con- 
temporaries elsewhere,  still  they  cannot  fail  to  please 
us.  The  charm  lent  by  their  logical  completeness 
causes  us  to  prefer  them  to  others  where  the  per- 
fection of  drawling  and  style  in  the  individual  win- 
dow is  partly  offset  by  lack  of  harmony  with  others 
near  it. 

291 


CHAMPIGNY-SUKrVEUDE 

Any  mention  of  Touraine  generally  calls  up  be- 
fore us  the  picture  of  a  smiling  country  through 
which  rolls  the  lazy  Loire  hemmed  in  by  its  sandy 
banks,  with  every  now  and  again  the  vision  of  a 
charming  chateau,  type  of  the  best  medieval  archi- 
tecture. To  the  glass  lover,  however,  the  chief  and 
almost  the  only  attraction  of  the  province  is  the 
cathedral  at  Tours  (see  page  51).  We  say  "almost," 
because  although  not  generally  known  and  but  sel- 
dom visited  by  the  tourist,  Touraine  has  another 
glass  shrine  lying  within  a  few  kilometres  of  the 
Chateau  de  Chinon.  The  chapel  in  which  we  find 
this  glass  was  formerly  part  of  the  Chateau  of  Cham- 
pigny-sur-Veude,  but  the  chppel  alone  remains.  Be- 
fore we  enter,  the  writer  wishes  to  deliver  himself 
of  a  partial  explanation  or  apology,  and  he  does  so 
for  the  following  reason:  he  has  all  along  inveighed 
bitterly  against  the  curse  of  donors'  figures  upon 
windows,  but  on  this  occasion  he  must  frankly  admit 
that  he  is  guilty  of  taking  you  to  see  glass  of  which 
a  most  interesting  feature  is  these  very  representa- 
tions of  the  donors.    In  fact  the  chapel  has  a  peculiar 

292 


0»0 

,,  ^N^  rM  :^^  ^ 


'-wm  ^^  mm  21 


"l!il  f:¥ 


^— ^  i'&^--  .<-«*'  "titi?; 

m  ^  i^  m. 


DEDICATION    OK    PARIS    STE.    CHAFELLK 
AT   CHAMPION Y-SUR-VEUDE. 

Panel  containing  ktieeting  donors  not  sho7VH.     ibth 
century  glass  picture  o/a  ijth  century  event.  (Seepage  20). 


SIXTEENTH  CEXTURY 

value  because  it  contains  thirty-six  portraits  of  the 
Bourbon-Montpensier  family.  They  are  to  be  found 
along  the  lowest  panels,  each  one  kneeling  before  a 
prie-dieu.  The  chapel  is  admirably  lighted,  partly 
due  to  the  destruction  of  the  old  chateau,  but  chiefly 
to  the  eleven  large  windows,  each  seven  by  three  and 
a  half  metres.  The  same  scheme  of  decoration  pre- 
vails throughout.  Lowest  down  we  find  the  kneel- 
ing donors ;  above  them  and  occupying  far  more  space 
are  historical  episodes  from  the  life  of  Louis  IX,  of 
peculiar  interest  to  us,  his  humble  followers  in  the 
love  of  stained  glass.  Among  the  most  interesting  of 
these  glass  pictures  may  be  cited  one  showing  a  bat- 
tle with  the  Saracens  in  the  Holy  Land,  several  por- 
traying ships  filled  with  armoured  knights,  and  par- 
ticularly the  episode  of  St.  Louis  dedicating  the  Ste. 
Chapelle  at  Paris.  Above  these  in  the  roomy  oval  tra- 
ceries are  scenes  from  the  Passion.  Highest  of  all  are 
small  panes  containing  either  a  capital  L  with  a  crown 
slipped  down  around  it,  or  a  bird's  wing  similarly 
encircled  by  a  crown,  referring  respectively  to  King 
Louis  and  the  Bourbons.  The  only  variation  from 
the  regularity  of  this  general  scheme  is  the  east  win- 
dow, which  shows  the  creation  of  the  world  and  has 
below  it  Christ  between  the  two  thieves.  The  fact 
that  this  chapel  is  to-day  completely  glazed  in  its 
original  glass  and  that  there  is  a  thorough  coherence 
of  style  throughout,  would  alone  serve  to  repay  us 
for  the  long  trip  from  Paris;  but  when  we  add  the 

293 


STAINED  GLASS  TOUES  IN  FRANCE 

fact  that  this  is  a  Bourbon  portrait  gallery,  an  his- 
torical interest  is  at  once  added  to  its  other  attrac- 
tions. These  arguments  in  its  favour  will  keep  us 
from  observing  too  keenly  how  much  the  crudeness 
of  some  of  the  colours  accentuates  the  dullness  of 
others.  It  would  be  better  if  the  greens  could  be 
softened  and  the  greys  enlivened.  Lest  we  may  seem 
by  thus  criticising  the  glass  to  wish  to  disparage 
it,  we  make  haste  to  urge  our  reader  to  visit  Cham- 
pigny.  He  will  find  ample  compensation  for  its 
isolation  from  other  glass  of  its  century  by  the  many 
chateaux  which  make  a  trip  through  Touraine  so 
enjoyable. 


2D4 


ITINERAKIES 
Showing  Distances  in  Kilometbes 


Thibteenth  Centuey 

Paris — 227 — Bourges — 190 — Poitiers — 103^Tours 

—  107  —  Angers — 87— Le  Mans — 124 — Chartres 

—88— Paris. 
Paris— 168— Auxerre— 59— Sens— 63— Troyes — 79 

— Chalons — 41 — Rheims — 145 — Paris. 
Paris — 95 — Soissons — 35 — Laon — 46 — St.    Quentin 

— 75 — ^Amiens — 131 — Paris. 


FOUBTEENTH    AND   FIFTEENTH    CeNTUBIES 

Paris — 94 — Evreux — 51 — Rouen — 133 — Paris. 

Paris— 227— Bourges— 97— Moulins— 82— Riom— 
14  — Clermont-Ferrand — 1 48 — E  ymoutier  s — 5  0 — 
Limoges — 1 2  0 — Poitiers — 124 — Angers — 8  7 — Le 
Mans  —  49 — Alen^^on — 21 — Sees — 64 — Vemeuil 
— 54 — Chartres— 88— Paris. 

Paris — 5  5  5 — Quimper. 

295 


ITINERAEIES 

Sixteenth  Century 

Paris — 5 — Vincennes — 107  —  Sens — 63 — Troyes — 
79— Chalons— 160 — Paris. 

Paris — 4:5 — Montfort  TAmaury — 72 — Conches — 56 
—  Pont-Audemer — 32 — Caudebec — 34 — Rouen — 
133 — Paris.  (Rouen — 33 — Grand- Andely,  Rouen 
— 20— Elbeuf,  Rouen— 18— Pont  de  TArche.) 

Paris — 18 — Montmorency — 8 — ^Ecouen — 27 — Chan- 
tilly — 50 — Beauvais — 78 — Paris. 

Paris — 4  6  6 — Bourg. 

Paris— 701— Auch. 

Paris — 279 — Champigny-sur-Veude. 


296 


INDEX 

KiLOMBTRBB 

FROM  Paris                                                         Epochs  Paob 

192 Alen§on 16th  Century 180 

131 Amiens 13th  "       113 

802 Angers 13th  "        55 

802 Angers 15th  «*        175 

701 Auch 16th  "       290 

168 Auxerre  13th  "       74 

78 Beanvais 16th  "       281 

466 Bourg 16th  *•       285 

227 Bourges 13th  ••       42 

227 Bourges    15th  •*       151 

161 Caudebec 16th  *'       245 

160 Chalons 13th  "       87 

160 Chalons 16th  *•       283 

279 Champigny-sur-Veude  16th  ••       292 

36 Chantilly 16th  "        277 

88 Chartres 13th  *'       67 

88 Chartres 14th  "       188 

888 Clermont-Ferrand 15th  "       160 

117 Conches 16th  •♦       239 

18 Ecouen 16th  "       274 

124 Elbeuf 16th  "       261 

94 Evreux 14th  •'       137 

410 Eymoutiers 15th  "       164 

99 Grand-Andely 16th  ♦♦       258 

129 Laon 13th  ♦♦       108 

898 Limoges 14th  "       169 

214 Mans  (Le) 13th  "       60 

214 Mans  (Le) 15th  "       178 

297 


i:n^dex 

KiLOlfETBBS 

FEOM  Pabis                                                        Epochs  Page 

45 Montfort  rAmanry 16th  Century 286 

18 Montmorency 16th  "       270 

289 Moulins 15th  "       155 

97 Nonanconrt 15th  ••       187 

884 Poitiers 18th  "       47 

884 Poitiers 14th  "       172 

167 Pont-Andemer 16th  "       242 

114 PontdeTArche 16th  "       268 

666 Quimper 15th  "       191 

146 Rheims 18th  ••       92 

868 Riom 15th  ••       157 

188 Rouen 14th  ••       144 

138 Rouen 16th  "       249 

176 St.  Quentin 13th  ••       107 

180 Sees 14th  ♦•       180 

1 12 Sens 13th  "       77 

112 Sens 16th  "       218 

96 Soissons 18th  *'       99 

288 Tours 18th  "       51 

166 Troyes 13th  "       82 

166 Troyes 16th  "       222 

118 Vemeuil 15th  "       186 

6 Vinoennes 16th  "       216 


298 


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